The St. Louis Cardinals are planning to go hard after bullpen help as soon as the lockout is over, according to an insider.
The MLB lockout has put offseason transactions on hold for the time being but don’t make the mistake of thinking teams aren’t using this time to plan for the future.
It doesn’t look like the St. Louis Cardinals will look to make a huge splash once the lockout ends. However, they should make some strategic moves to strengthen key positions.
The main focus will be on the bullpen, according to Katie Woo of the Athletic.
Cardinals to focus on bullpen after the lockout
Though St. Louis will have some money to work with, Woo looked to pump the breaks on the idea they could be big spenders this offseason.
Instead, management will look to find upgrades for the bullpen with short-term, team-friendly deals. The trick will be to work within the free agent market while not breaking the bank for those bullpen arms.
The likes of Joe Kelly, Kenley Jansen or Ryan Tepera are intriguing, but they could be pricier than the Cardinals would like.
The team already got T.J. McFarland signed up to a new deal. They also should have Alex Reyes, Jordan Hicks, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Kodi Whitley available for various roles. However, they missed out on keeping Luis Garcia, who went to the Padres.
None of this can get resolved until the MLB lockout ends. Until then, it’s all a big waiting game.