The St. Louis Cardinals have already had an active offseason. They have a new manager following the surprising dismissal of Mike Shildt and signed Steven Matz to improve the rotation. However, they are still behind the Brewers and are facing competition from a Cubs team that is looking to reload. Their path to the postseason is much more difficult than it had been last year.
The Cardinals certainly realize that they have plenty of work left to do. According to reports, they are looking to continue to upgrade their pitching staff, focusing primarily on the bullpen once the transaction freeze is lifted.
St. Louis Cardinals setting sights on reliever market
While two of the top relievers in Raisel Iglesias and Kendall Graveman have already signed, there are plenty of intriguing options available. Kenley Jansen would be the biggest name, but there are plenty of solid setup men still on the market. The Cardinals could come away with at least one of those arms.
Doing so would have a domino effect on the rest of the bullpen. The Cardinals would ideally want to let Alex Reyes, Jordan Hicks, and Genesis Cabrera compete for a spot in the rotation after they had been in the bullpen by necessity. While nothing would be guaranteed to that trio, adding another arm or two to the bullpen would give the Cardinals a lot more flexibility.
The Cardinals are not going to be alone in that quest to upgrade the bullpen. Plenty of teams, especially amongst those expected to contend, have question marks in their relief corps. The reliever market could see a great deal of movement once the lockout ends.
In the end, the trade market might be the best option. While plenty of teams will be looking at that direction as well, the Cardinals could end up with a bargain. With teams such as the Reds and A’s looking to cut salary, there may be a chance to improve the bullpen at a reasonable cost.
The St. Louis Cardinals still have plenty of work left to do when the lockout ends. Once that happens, their sights will be set on the bullpen.