Cardinals Could Jump Into Bidding War For Hurler To Bolster Bullpen
The St. Louis Cardinals got off to a fast start in free agency, signing three starting pitchers before most teams could make a single move.
Since then, however, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has moved at a snail's pace.
The trade of Tyler O'Neill brought some pitching depth and the trade for right-hander Andrew Kittredge shored up the back-end of the bullpen. With that said, the goal remains to add one more high-leverage arm alongside Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and Jojo Romero.
The market reportedly is heating up for one of the best players in their projected price range, former Houston Astros right-hander Ryne Stanek.
The 32-year-old is receiving interest from both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Thursday.
The Cardinals would be wise to get involved before the bidding war reaches its apex.
Stanek posted a 4.09 ERA with a 51-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .221 batting average against and a 1.24 WHIP in 50 2/3 innings last season.
While St. Louis would welcome that level of production coming off of a season in which the bullpen posted a cumulative 4.47 ERA, the ceiling for Stanek is much higher.
The right-hander recorded a 1.15 ERA with a 62-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .188 batting average against and a 1.23 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings in 2022 as a pivotal member of the Astros World Series run.
That season appears to be somewhat of a fluke but the 32-year-old has a 142 ERA+ over the last three seasons -- meaning he's been 42% better than league average over the aforementioned span.
St. Louis needs to infuse as much talent into the pitching staff as possible after a last-place finish in the National League Central.
Not only would Stanek improve the Cardinals but his acquisition would prevent him from landing with the rival Cubs -- a nice bonus.
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