St. Louis Cardinals ink Jonathan Broxton to two-year deal
In an effort to further stabilize what was baseball’s best bullpen in 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that they have signed reliever Jonathan Broxton to a two-year deal. Broxton was acquired at the trade deadline for the Cardinals, going 3-3 with a 2.66 in 26 appearances with the Redbirds last season.
Broxton’s full season numbers were not as appealing, as he struggled to a 5.89 ERA across 40 appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers. At 31 years old, it appears Broxton’s best years may be behind him, as the righty was a two-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 and 2010.
While the reliever’s velocity has dropped significantly since his days with the Dodgers, his solid performance with St. Louis down the stretch sparks the Cardinals’ belief in low-risk, high-reward signings, looking to build off of Broxton’s great play in the second half.
The signing will put Broxton among an already outstanding Cardinals bullpen, led by Trevor Rosenthal and Kevin Siegrist, who are both coming off of remarkable seasons, the former being selected as a National League All-Star. Broxton would most likely serve as a middle to late reliever, who can expect to see time in the 6th and 7th innings.
Broxton’s still great strikeout rate can only help the St. Louis bullpen, as the 31-year old struck out 63 in 60.1 innings pitched in 2015. His struggles with command have remained relevant, as he still relinquished 61 hits last season. Shall Broxton improve on his fastball command and perhaps increase his velocity, Broxton can be an outstanding signing for a Cardinals team looking to maintain the best bullpen in the MLB.
The Cardinals have not made a major splash in the free agent market yet, barely missing out on top prize David Price, who signed a seven-year contract worth $217 million. The Cardinals’ top target in the market is their right fielder from 2015, Jason Heyward, who could prove to be a monumental signing for the Cardinals.
The minor signing of Broxton can prove to be an outstanding pickup for St. Louis if the right hander picks up where he left off in 2015 with St. Louis, posting a sub-3.00 ERA.