The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve signed righty Nick Anderson to a minor league deal and invited him to major league spring training. Anderson, a client of Gaeta Sports Management, recently worked out for big league scouts to show his readiness after an injury-marred 2024 season. Ari Alexander of KPRC-2 reports that Anderson would earn $1.1MM in the majors. His contract contains an upward mobility clause that allows another team to add him to their Opening Day roster if he’s not going to break camp with the Cardinals.
Anderson also finished out the 2023 season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He began the 2022 season on the shelf while mending from an internal brace procedure the prior year, and his ’22 campaign ended due to plantar fasciitis. In his injury-dotted big league career, Anderson has also missed due to a back strain and a forearm issue.
It’s a laundry list of injuries, but Anderson has typically been excellent when healthy. Dating back to his 2019 MLB debut, he’s pitched 158 1/3 major league innings and logged a 3.18 earned run average. Anderson has 39 holds and 10 saves in his career, and his rate stats are eye-catching: 31.6% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and a gaudy 15.4% swinging-strike rate.
The 34-year-old Anderson gives the Cardinals an upside play in their late-inning mix if he can stay healthy. He hasn’t done that over the course of a full season since 2019, but there’s no harm for the Cardinals in taking a look. A healthy Anderson would be a boon to the bullpen, and he’s throwing well this summer he’d be a natural trade chip as St. Louis looks to restock its farm system. Anderson has 5.094 years of major league service to his credit, so there’s no surplus club control here. He’ll reach six years of big league service with another 78 days in the majors, so he’s very likely to end up a free agent at season’s end one way or another.
The Cardinals’ bullpen heading into 2025 — like their roster as a whole — is largely unchanged. The club has reportedly rebuffed interest in star closer (and pending free agent) Ryan Helsley despite taking a step back to focus on player development. JoJo Romero, Ryan Fernandez, Matthew Liberatore and John King are among the other options for manager Oli Marmol. If Anderson makes the club, it seems fair to expect that he’ll factor into setup duties and perhaps even get a crack at closing games if Helsley is moved or lands on the injured list himself.
Good numbers early on, let’s see how he does this year.
Is that 2 moves this week for our Cards? The excitement is rising.
If I say I was first you guys won’t dump on me, will you?
Not for that reason, no.
Name your reason.
I won’t dump on you Daryl, but you weren’t first. I wish you the best of luck being first going forward.
Nope I wasn’t. I wanted to be so that counts, doesn’t count.
s/
It shows you have drive. I’ll be looking for you at the top of the comments. Probably not all articles, but if you see me in another article be sure to mention that you were first on another article. I’ll be sure to check it out.
Proud of you.
Is he bringing Shaq and Penny Hardaway w him?
At this point, he’s Sacramento-era Nick Anderson, riding the pine alongside Lawrence Funderburke.
Unless Horace Grant is ripping rebounds in his rec specs, there’s no point.
Good low risk signing, especially if he can get back to his big K numbers, If so, could close when RH is moved.
So, is this the new “Cardinal Way”? (Just asking for my Wife who is a HUGE Cubs fan. Me…Pirates N.L. and A’s for since 1972 just watching the Universe spin around until lightning gets caught in a bottle from time to time).
This is the weird lame-duck POBO year that will be resolved when Mo leaves. Not really sure what the Chaim Bloom era will look like.
Nick Anderson signing minor league deals and Jesus Sanchez is your clean up hitter this year for the god awful marlins.
This trade did not age well at all for Tampa fans. But a lot of us knew that one to begin with.
Kind of a wash for Tampa. They don’t want/need Sanchez. It got them Trevor Richards who was the other piece with adames for Rasmussen and feyereisen. At least Rasmussen looks good when healthy.
Worth a shot, I guess.
Agreed. Why another team hasn’t signed him on a major league deal is suspicious though? Those numbers should have got him a guaranteed major league deal. Odd.
While I agree it’s the aforementioned shoulder problems in the article and workload (from my own perception) that has kept teams away.
“Anderson also finished out the 2023 season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He began the 2022 season on the shelf while mending from an internal brace procedure the prior year, and his ’22 campaign ended due to plantar fasciitis. In his injury-dotted big league career, Anderson has also missed due to a back strain and a forearm issue
It’s a laundry list of injuries” – Steve Adams
So teams basically have to weigh out weather or not he’s gonna be healthy enough for them to afford him a 40 man spot for the money he wants, and how many healthy innings can he give them
Good signing
That ought to do it!!!
Way to go Mozeliak!!!
Great typical Movement!!!
This has some potential, but I wish the cards would just send Nado and cash to LA for one of their 12 starting pitchers that would all be at least a #2 starter with the birds on the bat. Even if they aren’t controlled past this season they could flip at the deadline and get some good prospects at least. Holding till at least the all star break is a risk if Nolan has a slow start. Plus that NTC could come into play again if he doesn’t want to move his family mid season.