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.
2. Jordan Hicks
If the Cardinals are looking at relief options, then it might be smart for them to look no further than one of their former pitchers.
Jordan Hicks was traded from the Cardinals to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline this past season. After a bad start to the season, Hicks regrouped and ultimately took over the closer's role for the Cardinals in Ryan Helsley's absence.
After being traded to the Blue Jays, Hicks continued his dominance and ultimately finished the regular season with an ERA of 3.29.
With the bullpen in dire need of proven arms, Hicks could be of use to the Cardinals. Obviously, the 27-year-old right-hander has connections within the organization, having spent the first six seasons of his career in St. Louis.
Hicks can be trusted in high-leverage situations. That was an area where the Cardinals struggled a bit in 2023, having blown 28 saves.
But having Hicks back would give the Cardinals a very strong back end of the bullpen. They would essentially have three options to choose from to fill the closer's role, with Helsley and Gallegos being the other two.
Hicks' velocity on his fastball is also a viable weapon.
3. Joe Kelly
Kelly is another familiar face who could potentially find his way back to St. Louis. He and Lance Lynn were recently teammates with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. They were also teammates in St. Louis.
Lynn is now back in St. Louis, so there would certainly be connections with the Cardinals for Kelly.
During his time with the White Sox in 2023, Kelly posted a 4.97 ERA, struggling over 31 appearances. However, in 11 appearances with the Dodgers, Kelly posted an ERA of 1.74 and helped guide them back to the postseason.
Kelly reached the World Series with the Cardinals in 2013 and later won two rings, one with the Boston Red Sox and another during his first stint as a Dodger.
During the regular season, Kelly averaged 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings, so he would provide some of the swing-and-miss that the Cardinals have been looking for. One concern would be that he averaged 4.1 walks per nine innings.
However, Kelly is a familiar face and somebody who can be trusted to get the job done in high-leverage situations. He was also a fan favorite during his time in St. Louis.
