St. Louis is opting against making any big moves and looking to contend in 2025 for now at least. The Cardinals are planning to “reset” the organization and are looking to trim payroll. While this is the case, they can still be good in 2025 even if they do this.
The Cardinals can lower the payroll by trading players like Nolan Arenado or Steven Matz away. The Cardinals could then give more time to young, cost-controlled players. St. Louis also could look to the free agent market for cheap players with upside.
One who would be a great fit for St. Louis is former New York Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle. Having a strong bullpen is one of the best ways to build a solid team without breaking the bank. A strong bullpen would lead to less reliance on the starting rotation. The Cardinals could shorten games and now have a need for expensive starters.
The Cardinals had one of the best bullpens in baseball in 2024. Adding Kahnle could help the team get back to that level in 2025. He had a 2.11 ERA in 2024 in 50 appearances and hasn’t had an ERA above 3.00 since 2019. Kahnle had a two-year, $11.5 million deal with New York.
If the Cardinals could land him on a comparable deal, this is the type of move St. Louis should be all over.
