Ex-Yankees Fireballer Could Be Option To Help Fix Cardinals' Woeful Bullpen
The free-agent relief pitcher market is expected to pick up in the not-so-distant future.
Free agency has been extremely slow this offseason due to mega stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With so many clubs pursuing both of the stars, it slowed down other aspects of the offseason.
Now both Ohtani and Yamamoto have found homes with the Los Angeles Dodgers so the rest of the market is expected to heat up quickly. There has been almost no movement in the relief pitcher market so there still are some intriguing arms available.
The St. Louis Cardinals have improved the club already this offseason after a disastrous 2023 season. St. Louis stated that its goal was to add three starting pitchers and it already has done just that. The next biggest hole on the roster certainly is in the bullpen.
St. Louis needs to add at least two high-profile arms this offseason and luckily there are plenty available. One hurler who could make perfect sense is former Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees fireballer Wandy Peralta.
Peralta is a free agent and shined last season with the Yankees. The 32-year-old logged a 2.83 ERA in 63 appearances while striking out 51 batters in 54 innings pitched. Peralta arguably was even more impressive in 2022 while compiling a 2.72 ERA in 56 outings.
The lefty is an eight-year veteran and certainly could help the Cardinals out. He's projected to receive a contract with an annual value of just over $7 million, which St. Louis certainly could afford. There has been much movement in the reliever market, but St. Louis should at least look into landing Peralta.
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