St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is expected to be in the market for high-leverage relievers amid an offseason-long attempt to bolster the pitching staff.
While there are plenty of options remaining, one of the most logical fits could soon be snagged by an American League opponent, the Boston Red Sox.
"The Red Sox have also been poking around on free agent reliever Jordan Hicks, per source," Beyond The Monster's Chris Henrique reported Thursday amid swirlings of activity in the relief market for Boston.
Hicks posted a 3.29 ERA with an 81-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .231 batting average against and a 1.36 WHIP in 65 2/3 innings pitched across 65 games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays last season.
The Cardinals had interest in extending Hicks leading into last year's trade deadline but could not come to an agreement, which resulted in the move to Toronto.
After a strong finish with the Blue Jays, it's safe to assume Hicks would be welcomed back with open arms, as he's done nothing but improve his stock since departing.
Mozeliak will have a plethora of options to sort through in his quest to improve the bullpen and Hicks likely stands atop the list -- left-hander Josh Hader is the clear-cut top arm available but appears to be out of the Cardinals' budget.
St. Louis has been dead silent since the Winter Meetings and needs to get active before the remaining impact arms fall off the board.
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