6 free agent relievers for the Cardinals to replace Andrew Kittredge

The St. Louis Cardinals remain one of the six teams this offseason who have yet to spend a dollar on the major-league roster in terms of player acquisition. While rival clubs like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets have been quite active this offseason, mid-market teams like the Cardinals have been apathetic when it comes to improving the major-league roster.

However, that doesn't preclude the Cardinals altogether from spending this offseason. Once trades for players like Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, or Steven Matz are completed, roster spots and payroll space will be opened up ever so slightly for an outside acquisition.

One of the few bright spots of the 2024 St. Louis Cardinals was the bullpen. The Cardinals led the league with 55 team saves. Andrew Kittredge (37 holds) and JoJo Romero (30 holds) finished second and eighth, respectively, in that statistic. While the bullpen performance on the whole wasn't impeccable, the back end of the bullpen was as strong as could be.

When the Cardinals let right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge walk this offseason, a large hole was created in the bullpen. It could be filled internally with players like Ryan Fernandez or Matthew Liberatore, but there's one more route the club could take to plug the set-up man role.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently reported that the Cardinals are "in the market" for a set-up reliever to replace Andrew Kittredge -- assuming Kittredge himself isn't brought back, an option Goold discussed in his piece. You'll have to read his piece to find out other options that Derrick discussed.

Instead, I would like to propose some late-inning, high-leverage relievers of my own. Ideally, the Cardinals will be able to find a veteran reliever who has experience in said situations that won't break the bank or require a multi-year commitment. There's also the potential that this reliever, assuming he has success in the first half and the Cardinals aren't in contention for the playoffs, will be traded at the deadline.

It's also possible that the Cardinals opt to trade Ryan Helsley at the deadline if his value is greater than the free agent whom they sign now. That would then shift said free agent into the closer spot, or it would open up a "closer by committee" setup that other teams can opt to use.

Whoever the Cardinals opt to sign to be a late-inning reliever, he must come at a discount. Players like Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman are still options, but Scott is searching for a multi-year deal worth around $60 million, and Hoffman is probably looking at a similar deal. That's beyond ownership's comfort level given their new direction.

As Goold himself stated, these free-agent signings won't happen unless other trades occur. If the Cardinals are unable to move at least one of Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, or Steven Matz via trade this offseason, the roster will remain intact. If Nolan Arenado is traded, that will free up about $60 million in budget space. Fedde and Matz would net the organization $7.5 and $12.5 million, respectively.

If the Cardinals want to add a veteran set-up man, these six remaining free agents could fit the bill.