Cardinals Looking To Improve Bullpen; Could Ex-Yankees Flamethrower Make Sense?
The St. Louis Cardinals are in an intriguing spot.
St. Louis already has improved its starting rotation and already has a very solid offense. The Cardinals now will be turning their focus to improving the bullpen. If St. Louis could add one or two impact arms in the bullpen, there's a real chance it could be back in the postseason next year.
The Cardinals have been linked to multiple hurlers already -- including a possible reunion with fireballer Jordan Hicks. Luckily for St. Louis, there are some very solid options remaining in free agency.
One player who is available and could be a solid name to watch out for is seven-time All-Star Aroldis Chapman. He spent the 2023 season with the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers and appears to have returned to form. He finished the season with a 3.09 ERA across 61 appearances and his advanced metrics were off the charts.
Chapman finished in the 100th percentile in whiff percentage and strikeout percentage, 99th percentile in fastball velocity and expected batting average against, and 95th percentile in expected ERA and extension. Plus, he finished in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity.
The 35-year-old has bounced around throughout his career and has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Royals, and Rangers throughout his 14-year career.
At this point in his career, he isn't that expensive, as well. Spotrac projects Chapman's market value to be just over $7 million which would be very affordable for the Cardinals. Chapman served mainly in a setup role last season and could either continue to do that or move back to the closer role to help St. Louis.
The free-agent relief pitcher market has been extremely slow so far this offseason but keep an eye on Chapman for the Cardinals.
More MLB: Here's What Cardinals Reportedly Are Looking For In Trade For Outfielder Tyler O'Neill
