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The top 5 remaining available relievers for the Cardinals to acquire
The Cardinals are searching for high-leverage relievers and have plenty of players to choose from. The market is beginning to heat up and they must act quickly.
We are now entering the 2023-2024 MLB offseason. Shohei Ohtani has finally signed his highly anticipated contract which was stalling the market up until now. We are now seeing lots of buzz in regards to the remaining free agents finding suitors or potential trades lining up. The St. Louis Cardinals are on record to be looking for high-leverage relievers but are open to trades if they find the right deals. With the market begging to heat up, it is time to act and beat other teams to the best available players. With the dire need for a high-leverage reliever, here are the top 5 available relievers for the Cardinals to pursue.
The Cardinals, fresh off trading Tyler O’Neill, are expected to focus on acquiring a high-leverage reliever (likely through free agency) next.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) December 11, 2023
On the current state of the bullpen:https://t.co/8bqJ2NHeDy
Emmanuel Clase
With the news of the Cleveland Guardians posting Emmanuel Clase to the trading block, this provides not only the best reliever on the open market, but it provides arguably the best reliever in the game to any interested team. Clase's four-year average in his young career looks like this so far: 238.1 IP, 210 ERA+, 0.965 WHIP, 2.44 FIP, 8.9 SO/9, 2.0 BB/9, and 0.4 HR/9 totaling 111 saves. He is still very young at age 25 and is locked into a 5-year contract worth $20 million, that has $10 million in club options for the 2027-2028 seasons. For an all-star closer making only $2.5 million going into 2024, this will be much more affordable than signing someone from the free-agent pool. It will still cost quite a bit to get him though in a trade. But the Cardinals are not in a spot to have cold feet. They need to stay aggressive and pursue Clase…and possibly Shane Bieber.
Josh Hader
Josh Hader has dominated for years in the NL Central and it was a blessing when the Brewers traded him unexpectedly. Hader has now reached free agency and he will be receiving a record-breaking contract for relievers. The Cardinals are adamant about locking in relief pitchers and focusing on back-end support to help the workloads on Gallegos and Helsley.
The team relied on Andre Pallante to face left-handed batters in a reverse split strategy that ended up backfiring on them. The bullpen is in need of a left-handed arm that is reliable when called upon. Will they pursue a more affordable option in hoping they obtain elite-level production? Or should they get the best available reliever in the free-agent market and never have to face him again? The second option sounds better.
David Robertson
To follow the trend of veteran pitchers who are reliable and will not cost a fortune due to their age, Roberston fits the current mold of the Cardinals front office. They are banking on rebuilding the minor league depth to provide the next wave of cost-controlled pitchers. Until development catches up with the depth chart needs for the MLB level, the Cardinals have to find short-term fixes.
Their strategy appears to be long-time proven players who know what to expect in a clubhouse. Robertson has been around for a long time and still is an elite back-end reliever. If you have doubts about his age and remaining effective, his Baseball Savant page will tell you otherwise.
Hector Neris
Is there a real fit here with Hector Neris? I do not really see it. He has been a great receiver for the Astros and is expected to sign for a multi-year deal. Neris will be looking for a team that wants him to be their full-time closer so he can get a better contract out of it. He already has a winning resume from the Astros, so that will not play the biggest factor in his free agency decision. If that were the case he would not have declined his player option with the Astors and would've stayed in the Minute Maid Park bullpen.
So why even mention him in the article? Because he is one of the top 5 relievers available and any team looking to improve their pitching needs to consider all possible avenues. Neris pitched 68.1 IP with a 1.71 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 2023 with a savant page lit up in red. He does not allow much contact and has good strikeout numbers to pair with it. With only 2 saves last year, he is looking to use his makeup to take on more high-leverage moments for a team that wants to pay him for it. If the Cardinals are wanting this, it is time to offer it.
Jordan Hicks
This seems to be the most likely signing the Cardinals will make. They tried to extend Hicks before the 2023 trade deadline and failed to make an agreement which led to his trade to Toronto. We all know he has an elite arsenal that is at times laughable to watch. The game is still trying to figure out how a sinker can move that much at such a high velocity to pair with a nasty slider. With Hicks only being 27 years old, he will undoubtedly be receiving a multiyear offer from a team who is building for an October run.
The Yankees, Blue Jays, and Dodgers can all jump into the sweepstakes and drive up the asking price. But the Cardinals and Hicks have a history together and that might work in their favor here. It all depends on what Jordan Hicks wants for himself over a long-term contract.
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