Cardinals Could Bolster Pitching Depth with Former Mariners Arm

The St. Louis Cardinals have struggled to find momentum during the 2024 MLB season. A major reason for their lack of success has been a punchless lineup, as they are near the bottom in several hitting categories.

The Cardinals are currently last in the National League, and second to last in all of baseball, with 136 runs scored. Their pitching staff hasn’t been anywhere near as poor, but they haven’t produced at a high enough level to make up for the lack of scoring.

In last place in the NL Central, something has to change sooner rather than later if they want any hope of turning things around. Injuries to their pitching staff have necessitated some roster moves, but more could be on the way.

Nate Hagerty of Inside The Cardinals on Fan Nation has suggested the Cardinals target a Seattle Mariners pitcher who was recently designated for assignment. Needing to fill voids on the roster, Hagerty believes they should take a shot on Tyson Miller.

Miller was DFA’d by the Mariners over the weekend to open up a spot in their starting rotation for Brandon Woo, who was activated off the injured list. It had to be a numbers game that led to Miller losing his roster spot, as production certainly wasn’t an issue.

In 11.2 innings across nine appearances, Miller was throwing the ball well. He registered a 3.09 ERA and WHIP of 0.77, allowing an opponent’s batting average of .186. With a 12-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Miller was making life difficult for the hitters he was facing.

A journeyman with only 42.2 innings pitched in his career, Miller has made appearances with six different major league clubs despite being only 28 years old. With a respectable track record in the minor leagues, there should be some interest in him for teams looking for pitching depth.

One of those teams could certainly be the Cardinals. You can never have too much pitching depth, as fresh arms are needed throughout the season. Taking a shot on him, especially given the current state of the team, would be a low-risk, high-reward kind of move for the franchise.