Yankees Lefty May Be Ideal Cardinals Target

The St. Louis Cardinals need pitching, but don't expect to see some sort of massive expenditure this offseason.

It would obviously be great to land someone like Framber Valdez in free agency or Tarik Skubal in a trade, but there's no reason right now to get hopes up for a move of that nature. The Cardinals have been open about how they need more pitching this offseason, but some sort of low-money, veteran deal is significantly more likely.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch floated a handful of options and one that arguably is the perfect fit is Ryan Yarbrough, most recently of the New York Yankees.

"An injury interrupted this past season with the Yankees, but he returned and pitched well and in a swingman role the lefty went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA in 19 games (eight starts)," Goold said. "He struck out 55 in 64 innings. It's been four years since Yarbrough made more than 20 starts in the majors, and he’s more recent stints as a reliever with the Dodgers and Blue Jays. He has what could come up as an appealing trait as the Cardinals’ offseason evolves – a tie to Bloom’s years with the Rays.

"He finished fifth in the rookie of the year voting in 2018 in Tampa Bay, where Bloom was an executive. There’s a hedge here that may not fill the Cardinals rotation but could help the pitching staff. MLB Trade Rumors projects Yarbrough, 34, could receive a minor-league deal, and that would come with a spring training non-roster invite. He’d offer two-way support. Maybe he pitches into a starter role as a welcome lefty, or the Cardinals are on the lookout for lefty relief depth at a payroll-efficient price."

Why Ryan Yarbrough is a great suggestion