3 St. Louis Cardinals trade rumors they should turn into a reality

Cardinals trade target: Tigers reliever Andrew Chafin

The Detroit Tigers have had one of the worst offenses in recent memory, which is why they have been a huge disappointment in 2022. But in the bullpen, left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin has been very good. He could provide the Cardinals with a much-needed reliable lefty.

The Cardinals have two lefties in their bullpen currently in Génesis Cabrera and T.J. McFarland. Cabrera has been good as he has a 2.43 ERA in 24 games. However, his strikeout rate has plummeted since 2021 and his home run rate has nearly quadrupled since 2021. Cabrera’s 4.85 FIP suggests that he has had a lot of good luck which could run out soon.

McFarland has been worse as he has an ERA of 7.43 in 24 games with a FIP of 5.00. In seven appearances in June, he has a 7.25 ERA so it’s not like his results a skewed terribly because of a couple of bad outings early.

Chafin, on the other hand, has been absolutely phenomenal for Detroit. He has made 22 appearances and he has an ERA of 3.12. However, his 1.22 FIP suggests he has had some bad luck. He is only walking 2.1 batters per nine innings but he’s striking out 12.5 batters per nine innings.

He is a free agent after this season so he would be a short-term rental but he could really strengthen the bullpen.