The rapid decline of Trevor Rosenthal, who has now been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury following his season-long struggles, has the Cardinals in the market for a late-inning arm to add to their relief corps, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
St. Louis has turned to right-hander Seung-hwan Oh, whose modest offseason signing has proven to be one of the savviest investments of the winter, to handle ninth-inning duties in Rosenthal’s stead. Oh has lived up to his “Final Boss” nickname in the Majors, pitching to a brilliant 1.72 ERA with 11.9 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 41.4 percent ground-ball rate in 52 1/3 innings. Those are dominant numbers out of the rookie relief ace, but the absence of Rosenthal’s typically high-quality innings has stretched the Cardinals a bit thin at the back of the ’pen.
Behind Oh, the Cardinals have relied heavily on Seth Maness, Tyler Lyons, Kevin Siegrist, Jonathan Broxton and Matt Bowman in the bullpen this season. Maness, though, missed more than a month with inflammation in his right elbow and has seen his average fastball velocity dip from 89.5 mph to 87.9 mph this season. Siegrist and Lyons have been outstanding from the left side, though Siegrist recently missed a couple of weeks with a bout of mono. Broxton looks more like a middle reliever than the standout closer he once was, and Bowman doesn’t miss many bats, though he’s been a ground-ball machine and has a 2.98 ERA on the year.
That collection of relief arms has delivered mostly strong results, but Oh is the only truly dominant arm of the bunch, so it’s not a surprise to see the Cardinals tied to relief help. The exact quality of the arm they’re looking for, however, isn’t entirely certain based on Heyman’s report. Heyman writes that either Angels closer Huston Street or Royals closer Wade Davis “could make sense for St. Louis” if traded, though he stops short of saying that the Cardinals have actually inquired on either arm, and there’s obviously a wide gap overall talent and 2016 performance between those two arms. The Cardinals have looked into Halos right-hander Joe Smith, he writes, and have in fact been seeking help for the back of the bullpen for some time now, as their search predates Rosenthal’s placement on the disabled list.
Of course, many Cards fans feel that the best possible upgrade the team could make to its bullpen is already in the organization. Right-hander Alex Reyes has emerged as one of the very top pitching prospects in all of baseball and opened plenty of eyes with his 100+ mph fastball in this year’s Futures Game over the All-Star break. However, Reyes’ recent results haven’t been overly encouraging, as he’s posted a 6.52 ERA in his past 29 innings (six starts) with Triple-A Memphis. He has a 5.07 ERA overall on the season and has averaged 12.9 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 in 55 innings out of the rotation since serving a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse. Reyes’ overpowering stuff leads some to believe that he could thrive in the Majors right now in a short-relief role despite his rotation struggles in Memphis, but the Cardinals are reportedly being cautious with regards to their prized righty and may not wish to rush him to the Majors. (Reyes was pulled from his most recent start after three innings, prompting some speculation about a call-up, though Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Reyes’ quick hook from the game was “insurance” in the event that Lyons is unable to make a needed spot start for St. Louis on Saturday.)
If the Cardinals do ultimately feel that the trade market presents the best route to an upgrade, they’ll face plenty of competition, as the majority of contending clubs in the league are said to be eyeing upgrades for their relief corps. Within the past two or three days alone, we’ve heard the Giants, Nationals, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Dodgers and Mets all tied to varying degrees of bullpen help, and other clubs figure to be more quietly on the lookout as well.
While everyone is waiting on Reyes, I’d like to see what Luke Weaver could add to the bullpen this year. I think his fastball-changeup combo could play up in short stints out of the bullpen.
You can have Jim Johnson.
Might as well move him. ATL is getting to a point though to where they are getting rid of so much MLB ready talent that they may end up dipping into their farm for players too early. I trust the management though. It has been a long process learning to trust them, but I think I finally do now.
I have been on board with all choices post Wren. Yeah losing Kimbrel (great trade with dump of Melvin), Heyward, Simmons, and so on were rough pills to swallow. But I think the FO has done a fantastic job. At times I have felt confused (Grilli trade while we still pay more than I thought we should), but the FO has done pretty darn well. I have proposed probably some goofy trades, but all in hopes to make the future beat as possible. I like what Coppy (and Hart) have accomplished.
I would really rather them not bring Reyes up for a bullpen role, especially if he’s struggling in AAA. I understand the thought process that his 2 plus-pitches may play up in shorter stints, but that doesn’t mean they will be able to simply plug him into high leverage situations right away. He clearly needs further development in the minors. Plus his elite prospect status is based on his potential to be a top-of-the-rotation arm. Let him keep developing as a starter so we can hopefully have him in the rotation next year.
As much as I love the Cardinals and want them to compete every season, this just does not seem like a year where they are going to realistically compete for a championship (not saying it’s not possible, but seems unlikely at this point). I would be fine if they went out and got someone like Street because I doubt he would cost a ton given his results this season, especially if the Cardinals were to pick up a decent chunk of his contract (I think he’s under control for next season with a team option for 2018).
They’re currently only a game out from playoff position and 2 1./2 behind the first wild card spot (not to mention a 6 1/2 game deficit in the division race isn’t insurmountable). If they can land a good bullpen upgrade, I can certainly see them going on a good run to nab at least a spot in the play-in game.
However, I do agree that Reyes isn’t yet ready for the big show. I look forward to seeing him pitch once September rolls around, but they need to grab someone else now. However, it needs to be someone pretty good. Someone like Street isn’t an upgrade over the options they already have like Tuivailala, Kiekhefer, and Socolovich.
Not worth it. If two months of Chapman went for a top-25 prospect, a top-100 prospect, a big-league arm, and another prospect – then just imagine what Wade Davis or Andrew Miller will go for considering the time remaining on their deals. Part of me wonders if Epstein paid a bit extra for Chapman just to drive up the market and make it tough for other NL teams to add high-end arms to their pen.
Theo is trying to win a WS. Plain and simple.
Any BP arm needs to be controlled beyond 2016 to make any deal worth while.
Reyes shuld stay at Memphis so he continues his development. lord knows MM won’t be capable of handling any development at ML level.
I don’t think the Cardinals need to go shopping in the deepest end of the market. Someone like Tyler Clippard would suffice and wouldn’t cost quite as much as those two guys.
My money is on the Cardinals overpaying for Wade Davis. Just a hunch, no evidence to back it up.
Royals are also trying to pawn off Ian Kennedy in a package with Davis. If that’s the case, I don’t see it happening with the Cards, who don’t need a starter.
I posted this before the article about Kennedy being attached.
I don’t see Mozeliak overpaying for anyone, plain and simple. If he’s been anything over his tenure as GM, it’s reserved. He’ll just pick up that small piece without giving up much. He won’t pay the hefty price that Dayton Moore and the Royals expect.
Truly how often do the Cards overpay? Last season we thought Rob Kaminsky was an overpay for Moss… But alas its been a solid deal…
Davis would be an awesome get for sure, but I dont see Mo willing to part with the high end prospects for Davis.. Cards are in a bit of a transition year… Only impact talent close by is Reyes and Weaver… Both are likely untouchable unless its for a core everyday type player.. Which there arent many of those on market to begin with.
Maybe they can get Gregerson from the Astros for their passwords back. Lol
Jenmar Gomez has been solid for the Phillies and has received a lot of work so far. He tied for the most saves in Phillies history before the All Star break (since it was first recorded). He’s been extremely consistent, however the asking price might be a little high. I think it’s a worthwhile gamble to get one of the wildcard spots.
Clayton Richard Justin Grimm both available from Cubs :-)
I’d argue Siegrist also counts as a dominant arm, but yeah they could really use a bullpen upgrade.
Pickup Davis and Kennedy, let Reyes continue to develop another month. FO can’t have it both ways. Don’t say Reyes is a great internal upgrade, but we want to continue to develop him. Make a decision! Cubs have just proved that their 8/9th is locked. We might want to do the same…
How would they use Kennedy?
They should really push for wade Davis
If Davis were completely healthy I might agree, but the forearm strain is problematic, and quite likely the cause for his recent struggles, especially the control issues. Look for MO to find a cheap, diamond in the rough, that most are overlooking.
“[Reyes] has a 5.07 ERA overall on the season and has averaged 12.9 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 in 55 innings out of the rotation since serving a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse.”
It was marijuana. There are endless ways to describe the reason for the suspension. “Drug of abuse” is not a good one. Baseball would be a different game if players also received 50-game suspensions for getting caught with alcohol or one of the dozens of kinds of pain relievers/supplement pills that are legal.
Maybe pickup Vizcaino from the braves? He’s seems like a good fit, give Reyes time to develop in triple A
He would be nice pickup, but I don’t think the Cards can afford the price it would take to get a promising young guy who hasn’t even hit arbitration yet.
Jim Johnson ????? Can’t imagine him costing much
What about Reyes for Miller straight up. If I am the cards that would be where I started.