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.

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.

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.