6 free agent relievers for the Cardinals to replace Andrew Kittredge

RHP Carlos Estevez

Signing Carlos Estevez would be an interesting -- and out-of-the-ordinary move -- for the Cardinals. He's younger than many other pitchers on this list at 32, and he's likely reaching free agency at his peak. Estevez finished 2024 with a 2.45 ERA and 26 saves in 55 innings. He tapered off after being traded to Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Angels (3.83 FIP, 1.190 WHIP), but he still had a strong year overall.

What puts Estevez in his peak would be his decreased walk rate this past year coupled with a steady strikeout rate. He ranked in the 86th percentile in walk rate, a career-best, and he placed in the 54th percentile in strikeout rate. He relies heavily on his 97-MPH fastball, but his breaking ball is nothing to scoff at either.

Estevez has floated between being a set-up man and a closer for his entire career, and he already has 82 saves in his career. The right-handed pitcher would be able to do the same for the Cardinals next year, but he would be second fiddle to Ryan Helsley late in games.

Batters have a career .727 OPS in medium-leverage situations against him and a .759 OPS in high-leverage situations. However, the bulk of his work has come in high-leverage situations. Signing Carlos Estevez would be a long-term decision, as Tim Britton of The Athletic pegged him for a three-year deal. The Cardinals would be committing for a long time to a reliever, something they haven't been apt to do recently.

Tommy Kahnle

Tommy Kahnle feels like someone who fits the Cardinal mold. He isn't the biggest free-agent reliever on the market this offseason, but he's also been quite reliable. He boasts a career 3.47 ERA and a 1.228 WHIP. Last year, Kahnle finished with a 2.11 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched. He also became the Yankees' primary set-up man for Luke Weaver in the postseason last year. He threw 8.2 innings with seven strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA in the 2024 playoffs.

Kahnle has never been much of a closer in his career, as he has only eight saves across 10 seasons. However, he's still pitched quite often late in games. Last year, batters slashed .174/.269/.370 against Kahnle in 46 at-bats in high-leverage situations. Kahnle also finished 2024 with 19 holds. What also makes Tommy Kahnle an intriguing pitcher would be the fact that he's virtually split-proof. Right-handed batters have a .653 OPS against him in his career, and lefties have an OPS of .656 against him.

Signing Tommy Kahnle feels like a logical move for the Cardinals. He's likely looking at a one-year deal around $10 million, something that's well within the Cardinals' budget if they move off of other pricey veterans like Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, or Steven Matz.