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

Matt Moore

Let's start with relievers who have been mentioned by name as options for the 2024 bullpen. Matt Moore moved around quite a bit last year. He finished the year with the Miami Marlins after spending parts of the season with the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels. Moore, thirty-four, throws southpaw and had great numbers against right-handed batters last year.

He allowed a .218/.277/.345 slash line against right-handed batters last year paired with a 34% K rate. These reverse splits will be beneficial in a bullpen that allowed righties to hit .278 in 2023. Most of his appearances last year were in high-leverage situations, and he was excellent at those times, allowing a meager .178 batting average for opponents.

Moore's experience late in games would be paramount to a bullpen that is in desparate need for reinforcements. For his career, he has primarily pitched in low and mid-leverage situations. The large bulk of his innings have come in mid-leverage situations, according to FanGraphs. Moore also only has five saves for his career, and those came in 2022 with the Texas Rangers.

Matt Moore would lkely cost at or below $5 million, so he fits the financial limitations. His 2023 numbers were strong (2.56 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 27.5% K rate), and his career numbers are also decent (4.36 ERA, 1.387 WHIP, 20.6% K rate). Matt Moore likely won't see very many closing opportunities in 2024 or 2025, but he could easily slot into the 7th or 8th inning to provide assistance.