St. Louis Cardinals: 3 Trade Candidates to Become Their New Closer
By Nick Reid
The St. Louis Cardinals had a steady closer in Jordan Hicks until the fireballer went down with an elbow injury that will leave him on the shelf for the rest of the season. With the Redbirds an earshot away from a playoff spot heading into the All-Star break, who should they acquire to replace Hicks as their 9th inning guy?
It was a gloomy Monday in St. Louis when it was announced that Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. This is the worst-case scenario as it was originally believed Hicks had suffered triceps tendinitis, but now the fireballer will be sidelined until mid-2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery today to repair the torn UCL.
This is a bad blow for the 22-year old phenom as well as the Cards’ bullpen, as Hicks has been the anchor of St. Louis’ relief corps and one of the best firemen in the league; not to mention also the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball. Hicks’ injury marks a significant blow to his club who is now without their reliable 9th inning guy. This comes at a crucial point in the season for the Redbirds as they are currently sitting 2.5 games back in the crowded National League Central and just 0.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. With roughly half of the season under their belt, St. Louis finds themselves in the midst of a tight division and can’t risk falling behind heading into the All-Star break as the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are still ahead of them.
Now that Hicks is out for the rest of the season, the Cardinals need to figure out who will replace him as their closer, and rather quickly to avoid the risk of losing ground in the standings and playoff race. They could always turn to an internal option to fill their 9th inning needs; Andrew Miller, John Gant, and Carlos Martinez are the likeliest in-house candidates, however the once-dominant Miller has struggled mightily this season (as evident by a -0.3 WAR, 5.22 FIP, and 2.1 HR/9) while the latter two don’t have the closing experience nor the overpowering arsenal to serve as a formidable closer for the long haul. Thus, it would be wise for the Cardinals to look to acquire a reliever who is available on the market and capable of closing for a contending team.
Continue through the slider for the 3 best trade candidates to replace Jordan Hicks as the 9th inning guy for the Redbirds.