Ranking the 9 most important moves of the St. Louis Cardinals offseason thus far

4. Trading for Andrew Kittredge

When all hope seemed lost for the offseason, the Cardinals swung a deal for a former All-Star reliever in Andrew Kittredge. St. Louis sent Richie Palacios to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange. Kittredge provides a legitimate back-end threat out of the 'pen, and John Mozeliak finally sold high on a player.

Palacios had a very strong second half last year, but he was buried in the depth chart. In trading him to the Rays, Mo was able to trade a player at his probable peak for a reliever who would help the team immediately. Signing a reliever may have been preferable, but this is a close second.

3. Bringing on Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso

Local reporters made it abundantly clear that St. Louis needed to expand its coaching staff. After cuts in 2020, the Cardinals never returned those positions. By hiring Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso as coaches for 2024, the staff is improved in two ways. First, two veteran voices enter the organization. Yadi and Descalso were both a part of winning teams. They can bring that experience back to the clubhouse.

Second, these are truly talented coaches. Yadier Molina continues to win as a coach in Puerto Rico, and Daniel Descalso was a baseball operations assistant in Arizona the same year they made it to the World Series in 2023.

The addition of these two former players in their respective capacities should benefit the team immensely both next year and down the road, as either person could eventually become the team's field manager.