Cardinals Reportedly Trade For Impact High-Leverage Reliever From Rays

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is in the process of making a fantastic move to drastically improve the bullpen while clearing the outfield logjam even further.

The Cardinals have been in search of an affordable high-leverage reliever since they restocked the rotation and finally found a match.

"Source confirms: Cardinals working to acquire right-handed pitcher Andrew Kittredge from Rays for outfielder Richie Palacios," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Friday. "Kittredge returned from Tommy John surgery in August and held opponents to a .683 OPS in 14 outings. Palacios had an .823 OPS in 102 plate appearances after Aug. 18 promotion."

Kittredge has been a dominant force since his All-Star campaign in 2021. The 33-year-old has recorded a 2.26 ERA with a 101-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .215 batting average against and a 0.98 WHIP in 103 1/3 innings across the last three seasons -- two of which were hampered by the aforementioned elbow injury.

The veteran hurler will only cost the Cardinals a couple of million in arbitration and will be a free agent at the end of the year.

As for Palacios, the Cardinals ultimately sold high on the 26-year-old who would have struggled to find at-bats in St. Louis with a healthy outfield group going into the season.

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Among Many Suiters Active In Bullpen Market

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