Cardinals continue roster additions with sneaky good reliever signing

The St. Louis Cardinals have finally made some roster moves, but I'd argue the minor league signing they made today is the most interesting of all of them so far.

The Cardinals just announced today that they are signing RHP Nick Anderson to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training. Anderson, who debuted with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball when healthy, but at age 34, was looking for a team to take a chance on him regaining that dominance on the mound.

For his career, Anderson has a 3.18 ERA in 158.1 innings out of the bullpen with a nasty 31.6% strikeout percentage. Anderson was mediocre for the Kansas City Royals in 2024 though, posting a 4.04 ERA in the 37 games he appeared in.

Anderson is a primary curveball pitcher who pairs that breaking ball with a sinker and four-seam fastball and the occasional change-up. Anderson's average fastball velocity is down a few ticks from when he debuted in 2019 but the pitch still sits in the mid-90s and he was able to find success with it out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen in 2023.

For the Cardinals, taking a flyer on a guy like Anderson who has flashed immense upside when healthy is a gamble worth taking every time. A minor-league deal and non-roster invite is about as minimal of a commitment as you can make to a player, and while there's a chance it does not turn into anything, Anderson could also become a significant bullpen piece for them.

Think back to 2024. The Cardinals expected Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Keynan Middleton, and Andrew Kittredge to be their top back-end relievers during the season. Well, Middleton never even threw a pitch for them due to injury, and so the Cardinals had to rely on low-risk flyers to see if any could fill that production. They acquired Riley O'Brien and Nick Robertson during the offseason but did not see much fruit, but their Rule 5 pick, Ryan Fernandez, boomed in a big way.

Going after relievers that don't cost you anything but could potentially have an impact on your bullpen during the year is a smart way to build bullpen depth. If they flame out, it doesn't hurt you, but if they succeed, you just gained a valuable piece for your mix. The Cardinals are doing that once again here in the case of Anderson.