The St. Louis Cardinals are still in the middle of a rebuild, and while they are not expected to make any big swings, they do have room to sharpen the roster. One area that stands out is the search for a bat that can help balance the lineup, especially against left-handed pitching.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the Cardinals have a left-handed hitting infielder on their radar, but the free-agent market does not offer many appealing choices. St.
Louis already feels set at first base, yet Alec Burleson posted a .548 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season. That makes a right-handed hitter who can handle some first-base duty an attractive possibility.
That is where Ryan Mountcastle comes into the picture.
The former Baltimore Orioles slugger could give the Cardinals a platoon option behind Burleson and provide some right-handed pop to work into the lineup. Mountcastle played only eight games this past season because of injuries and did not homer, but his track record is much stronger than that brief sample. He launched 33 home runs for the Orioles in 2021 and has finished with fewer than 13 homers only three times in his career.
A one-year deal could make sense if St. Louis wants a bat it can deploy selectively against lefties.
The Cardinals need pitching more urgently, but adding a little more offense would still be useful. Burleson led Major League Baseball with more than 100 RBI, yet having a fallback plan if he runs into trouble against left-handed pitching would give the club more flexibility as it keeps building toward 2027.
The problem is that the left-handed options in free agency do not look especially strong. The only left-handed hitting infielder who would clearly upgrade the roster is Luis Arraez, and he is expected to draw plenty of interest this offseason.
So Mountcastle may end up being the more realistic name to watch if the Cardinals decide they want to mix and match more often against left-handed pitching. They have a few weeks before the lockout to sort through the possibilities, and it will be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom chooses as St. Louis looks for ways to improve.
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For the Cardinals, the appeal is obvious: a fresh bullpen option with some real upside if the change of scenery helps unlock more consistency. Boston, meanwhile, gets 18-year-old Garcia in return, a young pitcher who has already begun his pro career in the Dominican Summer League, underscoring how both clubs approached the deal with different timelines in mind. [Read more 🡒]