Cardinals could steal a Cubs breakout story in free agency this offseason

When the St. Louis Cardinals blew up their bullpen at the trade deadline, it became clear that the team would need to address the relief corps in some fashion over the offseason.

No one truly stepped into the closer's role to replace Ryan Helsley — JoJo Romero was probably the closest thing this team had to a ninth-inning stopper in the second half — and adding some more options for Oli Marmol in the late innings is sure to be a priority for Chaim Bloom.

The Cardinals, sitting on the precipice of a rebuild, aren't in position to splurge on the best relievers available. Guys like Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez will likely fall out of their price range (and competitive window).

However, all teams, good and bad, need reliable relievers, and it just so happens that one of the Chicago Cubs' most impressive reclamation projects is set to be available this winter. Brad Keller set himself up for a nice payday with a sterling campaign in 2025, and at least according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, is a strong free-agent fit for the Cardinals.

Cardinals can improve bullpen, weaken Cubs with Brad Keller signing

Keller emerged as one of the most important high-leverage relievers for the Cubs this season, and by the time their playoff run came around, he was their de facto closer in October.

After years of jumping back and forth between the bullpen and rotation, Keller finally settled into a permanent relief role in Chicago and dominated. In 69 2/3 innings this season, the right-hander authored a 2.07 ERA and 2.93 FIP. He struck hitters out at a 27.2% rate and was downright elite and inducing groundballs (56.6%, 95th percentile) and limiting hard contact (30.6% hard-hit rate, 99th percentile).

Despite that wildly impressive season, Bowden thinks Keller will only command a two-year, $15 million contract in free agency. That's a no-brainer of a deal for a 30-year-old reliever with his peripherals, and the Cardinals would be wise to jump at the chance to add him to their bullpen mix.

Of course, they'd have to outbid the Cubs to secure his services, but that actually shouldn't be too much of an issue. The North Siders have been reluctant to hand out multi-year contracts to relievers since the Craig Kimbrel saga, and their proclivity for patching together solid bullpens with scrap-heap parts means they could let Keller walk instead of paying him real money (his salary in 2025 was just $1.5 million).

That'd be a boon for the Cardinals, who could get an elite closer option for (relatively) cheap. Keller would also be an excellent trade chip if the team struggles ahead of the trade deadline. Either way, it's a chance to weaken a division rival while filling one of the roster's biggest holes — seems like a pretty good idea to me.