The St. Louis Cardinals are close to signing free agent right-hander Keinan Middleton, a league source confirmed. The athletics. Fansided’s Robert Murray first reported the news. The deal is pending in person.
Middleton, 30, pitched for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees in 2023, making 51 combined appearances and posting a 3.38 ERA over 50 2/3 innings. He posted an 11.4 strikeout-per-nine-inning average last season, the highest mark of his seven-year major league career.
How Middleton fits into the bullpen
Reworking the bullpen was a high priority for president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. After adding Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and taking a chance on Ryan Fernandez, Mozeliak plans to continue to pursue the free agent market on Jan. 5.
Middleton checks two boxes for the Cardinals. His 30.2 percent strikeout rate ranked in the 91st percentile in MLB last year, while his whiff percentage (36 percent) ranked even higher in the 96th percentile. St. Louis has actively discussed increasing swings and misses in their bullpen, and Middleton’s recent success in that regard makes him a logical target.
As the Cardinals hope to carry a versatile bullpen this year, Mozeliak singled out experienced pitchers in various relief roles. Middleton fits that narrative. – Katie Woo, Cardinals beat writer
How the Cardinals bullpen looks
Middleton figures to be the last addition to the bullpen before the pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on February 14. As currently built, St. Louis looks to set up its own bullpen with Ryan Helsley as the closer and Giovanni Gallegos as the setup. Man, even though manager Ollie Marmol has often used Helsley in the game’s highest utility position, no matter what.
Middleton should step in alongside Helsley and Gallegos for maximum advantage opportunities. The club is also high on left-hander Jojo Romero, who could be considered for later games, especially with a strong performance in the spring. Kittredge, Robertson and John King are likely to cover the middle innings, with Andre Palante and Fernandez competing for the last spot. – Wow
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