5 notable transactions the Cardinals have made in February over the years

Carlos Villanueva: February 4, 2015 - Minor league contract

Neshek's departure along with the move of phenoms Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha to the rotation full time, the Cardinals were once again in need of bullpen depth going into the 2015 season behind lockdown closer Trevor Rosenthal. Enter again Mozeliak's famous "dumpster diving" that turns into some Cardinals devil magic with a low-risk signing.

Continuing his tour around the NL Central, Carlos Villanueva agreed to come to St. Louis on a minor league deal after spending time bouncing between the rotation and bullpen with the Brewers, Blue Jays, and Cubs. His role, despite being on the minors deal, would be clear with the Cardinals having a full rotation of 30-start caliber players. With Martinez and Wacha coming into their first full seasons in the bigs, Villanueva was seen as a veteran arm who could fill multiple relief innings or to give those youngsters an experienced arm backing them up.

As was the case with Neshek in the year prior, Villanueva's first two months were electric for the 31-year-old, even if his appearances were not necessarily in high-leverage spots. He proved his value in his long relief spot, as he had six multi-inning relief appearances in his first twelve games of action with the Cardinals. Villanueva did not just fill innings, though, as he was 3-1 with a .43 ERA during the season's first two months of the year. In his 21 innings, he struck out 19 batters with a WHIP below 1.00. He continued that success through the All-Star break, which included notching his first save with a three-inning performance against his former Cub teammates.

The second half of the season was not nearly as successful, as the Dominican righty put up a 4.81 ERA over his final 13 games, covering 24.1 innings in the process. He finished the regular season with a 4-3 record and two saves to go along with a solid 2.95 ERA over 61 innings exclusively out of the bullpen. Villanueva made the postseason roster, as starting pitchers usually see a shorter leash during the playoffs. After another NL Central title, the Cardinals faced the rival Cubs in the NLDS, who got their revenge on St. Louis and Villanueva in game two.

After Chicago knocked out lefty Jaime Garcia in the second inning after five unearned runs, the Cardinals needed to fill the rest of the game without taxing their bullpen for the rest of the series. Villanueva covered two middle innings and only allowed one base runner, but the six-run deficit was too much for St. Louis to overcome, and they eventually lost the series in four games.

Villanueva's time in St. Louis would end after the 2015 season, and he signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres. San Diego took note of how the Cardinals used the righty, and he was used as a reliever but could not find the same success he had the previous year. His near-6 ERA ended his major league career, and he spent the 2017 season in the KBO before hanging up his spikes.