3 players on Cardinals holiday wish list ahead of MLB Winter Meetings
By Curt Bishop
After signing Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson, the St. Louis Cardinals essentially have their starting rotation set for 2024, barring another move.
Assuming that the rotation is in fact set, they can now turn their attention to their bullpen, which had more than its fair share of issues in 2023. The Winter Meetings are fast approaching, and the relief pitcher's market will soon start to move.
The Cardinals currently have a back-end trio of Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, and JoJo Romero. However, they are going to need much more than that.
Here are three players who could be on their wish list as the Winter Meetings approach.
1. Phil Maton
Maton had a strong season with the Houston Astros, posting a 3.00 ERA over 68 appearances as he helped guide the Astros to their seventh consecutive ALCS.
The veteran right-hander is somebody who could slide into the back end of the Cardinals bullpen or be used as a middle relief option.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are expected to pursue the star right-hander.
Maton was a key piece in the Astros bullpen when they won their most recent title in 2022, and a high-leverage arm such as his could give the Cardinals a huge boost, as well as give their bullpen a completely different look from this past season.
St. Louis is desperate for high-leverage relief arms, and pursuing Maton would make a ton of sense for the Cardinals, whose bullpen continually failed them in 2023.
He also has some solid postseason experience from his years in Houston, which would be beneficial for some of the younger pitchers in the team's bullpen.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old also provides swing-and-miss, which is another thing the Cardinals lacked in 2023. He averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.