Should Cardinals Circle Back To Big-Time Addition From Yankees?

The St. Louis Cardinals were very active after the 2023 season came to an end.

St. Louis had one of its worst seasons in recent memory and knew that adding more pitching was a necessity. The Cardinals added a few starters in the form of Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson. The Cardinals didn't stop there, though. St. Louis added more firepower to the bullpen as well, including Andrew Kittredge and Keynan Middleton among others.

These two were the big additions for the bullpen and Kittredge ended up shining. The former All-Star logged a 2.80 ERA in 74 appearances. Middleton signed a one-year, $6 million deal with an option for the 2025 season. He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury and then the Cardinals declined his option for the 2025 campaign.

He's currently still a free agent and it's not hard to see why it would make sense to take a chance on him possibly with a minor league pact. Landing Middleton was a pretty big deal last offseason. The Cardinals needed bullpen help desperately and he arguably was the big-name addition for it after a lights-out stint with the New York Yankees.

He began the 2023 season with the Chicago White Sox but was traded to New York. Overall, he finished the 2023 season with a 3.96 ERA in 39 appearances. He made 12 appearances with the Yankees and had a 1.88 ERA.

There was hopes last year that he could be a high-leverage option for St. Louis but his injury changed that. Now, the Cardinals are the hottest team in baseball and still have some bullpen questions. The Cardinals are proving that they are worth investing in. Why not try to bring Middleton back to see if he could help?