Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Should Make Bold Move For All-Star Hurler Shockingly Cut By NL East Rival

St. Louis could use some added depth
Nate Hagerty|
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, March 31, 2024, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, March 31, 2024, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The St. Louis Cardinals are committed to reducing payroll this winter but with Opening Day steadily approaching, perhaps they should consider exploring some options.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said at last weekend's Winter Warm-Up that adding a productive right-handed bat and some bullpen depth might be in the franchise's forecast this winter.

Perhaps St. Louis should consider making a move for a former reliever from a National League East rival's bullpen whose market is heating up.

"With numerous free-agent relievers coming off the board recently, right-hander Kyle Finnegan’s market has picked up significantly," FanSided's Robert Murray reported Thursday. "Finnegan, 33, was surprisingly non-tendered by the (Washington) Nationals after recording a 3.68 ERA and 38 saves last season."

Finnegan has logged a 22-26 record with a 3.56 ERA, 288-to-117 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .242 batting average against and a 1.32 WHIP throughout his five-year career with the Nationals.

Despite being a key member of the Nationals' bullpen, Finnegan was cut this past Nov. as Washington didn't want to pay the expected salary increase for his final year of arbitration.

The right-handed pitcher's projected market value is roughly $25 million over a two-year deal, translating to nearly $12.5 million annually, according to Spotrac.

With the Cardinals rebuilding and looking to reduce payroll, it seems doubtful they'd spend $12 million on a reliever. However, after losing All-Star pitcher Andrew Kittredge to the Baltimore Orioles, perhaps Finnegan could fill the void in the bullpen.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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