The $5 million man: 6 budget relievers for the St. Louis Cardinals

The addition of Andrew Kittredge to the bullpen gives the St. Louis Cardinals an experienced and talented back-end reliever. He provides Oliver Marmol another option late in games, and he makes the team that much better for next year.

However, Kittredge alone likely isn't enough. Katie Woo had a mailbag the other day (subscription required); in her mailbag, she began the discussion by bringing to light the Cardinals' plan for pitching this offseason. John Mozeliak's goal of adding "at least two bullpen arms" isn't accomplished just yet unless he considers one of Wilking Rodriguez, Ryan Fernandez, or Nick Robertson sufficient, which he hopefully doesn't.

Woo stated that there is still room in the budget, despite it possibly being capped out, for one more reliever. This pitcher likely won't come from the Josh Hader bucket, and it's also unlikely he comes from the Jordan Hicks/Hector Neris bucket. Instead, Katie gave a very specific dollar amount for this final reliever.

The Cardinals are looking to add one more reliever with an AAV ranging around $5 million, per an industry source. Pitchers such as Matt Moore and Phil Maton fit that targeted range and the Cardinals have been linked to Maton throughout the winter. The club is high on its bullpen but is still hoping to add one more reliever.

$5 million isn't much in today's free agent market. Given the rise in prices for pitchers of all varieties, Bill DeWitt and Co. are really limiting what John Mozeliak can do with his final signing. Most of the high-end, younger relievers exceed that price tag.

Woo does state two specific relievers that have been reported as options in the past by Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch and others in Phil Maton and Matt Moore. I also discussed Moore in a piece back in October as a player St. Louis should target. I also brought up names like Matt Barnes, Joe Jimenez, and Keynan Middleton as options, but Matt Barnes is likely the only pitcher of that bunch who will be affordable given these financial constraints.

Here are six relievers who will cost around $5 million in free agency.

Phil Maton

Phil Maton has been mentioned as a person of interest for weeks now by both Katie Woo and Derrick Goold. The former Astro reliever will turn thirty-one in March, and parts of seven seasons with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, and Houston Astros.

In addition to his reasonable price tag, Maton has been mentioned as a possible signee due to his playoff experience. Across three different postseasons, Maton has pitched 21.2 innings with a 0.83 ERA and twenty-two strikeouts. Maton is also a "local" player, something management has been seeing as a bonus with free agents this offseason.

Maton isn't known much for being a closer (only two saves for his career), but he has good strikeout numbers (27% for his career), and he was exceptional last year in Houston at limiting hits (6.7 per nine innings) and home runs (0.8 per nine innings).

Should the Cardinals sign Phil Maton, he would be able to handle both left-handed and right-handed batters. He wouldn't get many appearances in save opportunities, but he could absolutely be used as a setup man or to hold a lead.

Ryan Brasier

Ryan Brasier was the last reported name as a reliever the Cardinals could potentially sign. Katie Woo mentioned him briefly in her latest mailbag, and Derrick Goold brought up his name in his piece before the weekend. The right-hander out of Weatherford College in Texas turned thirty-six in August, so he is one of the oldest pitchers of this group.

Brasier has spent time everywhere, first in Los Angeles with the Angels, followed by a brief stint with Oakland's AAA team, some time in Japan, then back to North America to play for Boston, and he ended last season with the Dodgers. His career has been volatile, and he has faced many challenges, but he finished the 2023 season strongly.

In 38.2 innings with the Dodgers, Brasier had a microscopic 0.70 ERA, 2.48 FIP, and 0.724 WHIP. That is a complete reversal from his first half with Boston, and The Athletic's Chad Jennings attributes his success to a cutter that was untouchable by batters.

Brasier's age, iffy career, and shaky first half last year should make him affordable on a short-term contract. If his results with Los Angeles are real, St. Louis could snag themselves a strong bullpen arm.

Aaron Loup

These final relievers are purely speculative on my part, so I won't spend as much time on them. The first is Aaron Loup; Loup will be thirty-six for all of 2024. He played for the Los Angeles Angels last year and posted a 6.10 ERA and a 1.747 WHIP in 48.2 innings. His career numbers are significantly better, however. He has a career 3.43 ERA and 1.258 WHIP.

Loup has only tallied eight saves for his career, but he has faced his fair share of batters in high-leverage situations. Batters have a .272/.353/.383 slash line against him in these scenarios. Loup would have to prove 2023 was a fluke year, but he has shown an ability to pitch well in relief for his career.

Adam Ottavino

Adam Ottavino, a thirty-eight-year-old righty, had a strong season last year for the New York Mets. In 61.2 innings, Ottavino had a 3.21 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 1.216 WHIP. He also had twelve saves, an attribute John Mozeliak has been looking for in his free-agent acquisitions this offseason.

Ottavino started his career in St. Louis in 2010, and he has played for three other teams aside from the Cardinals and Mets. His career numbers are right in line with last year's stats (3.42 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.284 WHIP, 29.5% K rate). Ottavino may be old for baseball, but he appears to have more left in the tank for next year. He would be a sneaky signing, and I'm afraid fans wouldn't love the move, but I think his acquisition would do a lot of good for the 2024 bullpen.

Collin McHugh

Collin McHugh was once one of the best long relievers in baseball, and he was even a starter in his first three years with Houston. The Cardinals have Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson as pitchers who can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen, but McHugh would be a right-handed complement to those two.

Last year, McHugh pitched 58.2 innings for the Braves with a 4.30 ERA and a 4.09 FIP. He was hit hard (10.7 hits per nine innings), and his walk rate of 8.2% was one of the highest of his career. McHugh doesn't seem to have the same touch he once had, but perhaps the Cardinals could make him a reclamation project to provide more depth in their bullpen for next year.