Cardinals Should Target $10.5 Million Rangers Closer To Boost Bullpen

The Cardinals are in the market for a veteran reliever.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the market for a veteran relief pitcher, per John Mozeliak. Unfortunately, they lost right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

However, there are still plenty of relief pitchers available, and some of them are right within the Cardinals price range, even as they attempt to cut payroll for 2025. They could use somebody to go next to Ryan Helsley and JoJo Romero.

Perhaps St. Louis could take a look at right-hander Kirby Yates, who The Athletic lists as one of the top available free agents on the market.

"In his 20s, Yates was a fringe Major League reliever who’d gone undrafted out of college. In his 30s, he’s been a closer and two-time All-Star, and at 37, he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Pushed into ninth-inning duty after José Leclerc struggled out of the gate, Yates finished with 33 saves and a career-best 1.17 ERA with the Rangers. He was an All-Star and finished behind only Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase in Win Probability Added."

Yates recently turned 38, but he is still quite an effective reliever and would give the Cardinals a major boost. Projected to sign a $10.5 million deal, he should be right within the team's preferred price range for 2025.

Should the Cardinals fall out of contention by the trade deadline, they could trade Yates to a contender and receive a decent haul of prospects, as evidenced by the returns selling teams received for their rental relievers last year.

We'll see what St. Louis decides to do.

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