Cardinals Could Sign Cuban Star To Bolster Bullpen Depth For 2023 Season

It might not be too late for the St. Louis Cardinals to strengthen their bullpen with external options despite having Opening Day behind us.

While the majority of the free-agent market is tapped, a highly talented international hurler recently broke off all previous contracts and is searching for a Major League Baseball opportunity.

"Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodríguez left his contract with the Chunichi Dragons and the Cuban Baseball Federation and will seek to sign with an MLB team in the near future," MLB insider Francys Romero tweeted Tuesday. "Rodríguez arrived in the Dominican Republic a few hours ago."

The 26-year-old is coming off an impressive World Baseball Classic performance for Cuba. He posted a 2.45 ERA with a 10-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .200 batting average against in 7 1/3 innings across two starts.

More importantly, Rodríguez dominated on a much larger sample size in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League last season.

The flamethrower -- who sits in the upper 90s with his fastball and features a slider and splitter -- posted a 1.15 ERA with a 60-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.92 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings for the Dragons last season.

With right-hander Giovanny Gallegos currently battling back stiffness and the overall pitching depth considered a question mark on the roster, it would make a lot of sense to invest in the young gun with a lot of potential.

Romero mentioned that Rodríguez likely is looking to start in the MLB after being stretched out in the WBC but frankly, the Cardinals could use him either way. A multi-inning, high-leverage reliever would be a massive addition, as would a legitimate middle-of-the-rotation starter. The right-hander has the potential to be either.

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Published Mar 31, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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