3 needs for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Winter Meetings

Need #2: find another reliever

Right now, the Cardinals have Ryan Helsley, Matthew Liberatore, Ryan Fernandez, John King, and JoJo Romero as five guaranteed relievers. Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy, Zack Thompson, and Gordon Graceffo could make relief appearances, but John Mozeliak could dip into the free-agent pool to bring back an experienced bullpen arm.

Perhaps Andrew Kittredge is brought back. The Cardinals have been linked to right-handed reliever Blake Treinen, who finished 2024 with a 1.93 ERA, 0.943 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Treinen, 36, was the Oakland Athletics' closer back in 2018 and 2019 when he had a combined 54 saves. He hasn't seen significant work late in games since 2021, but his 10.8 K/9 rate would be one of the best in the Cardinals' relief corps.

Other relievers such as Carlos Estevez (2.45 ERA, 55 innings pitched, 26 saves) or Kirby Yates (1.17 ERA, 33 saves, 85 strikeouts, 0.827 WHIP in 61.2 innings pitched) could be had, as they are probably among the top arms on the free agent market.

St. Louis could also look into recently non-tendered players. The Cardinals themselves let Adam Kloffenstein go by not extending him a contract. Other pitchers who would be attractive candidates include Kyle Finnegan, Jordan Romano, Brent Honeywell Jr., and Jacob Webb.

Finnegan and Romano will have a long line of suitors. Kyle Finnegan finished with 38 saves last year (88 over the last four years). He finished with a 3.68 ERA, but the bulk of that was a result of a disastrous second half. If Mozeliak believes that Finnegan is more the man in the first half, he would be a strong "discount" grab in free agency.

The reliever who interests me most among the non-tendered pitchers would be Jacob Webb. Webb, 31, struck out 58 batters in 56.2 innings, and he finished 2024 with a 3.02 ERA as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. He didn't see many high-leverage opportunities last year, but he was excellent in medium-leverage situations, allowing a slash line of .183/.258/.267 to batters.

Regardless of who he chooses to add, at least one reliever needs to be signed or heavily looked into at the Winter Meetings by John Mozeliak. A team can never have enough pitchers, and some of these players, particularly those who were non-tendered, could be had on minor league contracts with an invite to spring training by the club. These are moves on the edges that some of the best organizations make. It's imperative that John Mozeliak finds a reliever, especially if Ryan Helsley is traded this winter.