Cardinals Could Fix Bullpen With Ex-Yankees, Blue Jays Hurler

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The St. Louis Cardinals need some help for the bullpen right now.
St. Louis is 23rd in the league in bullpen ERA at 4.65, despite the fact that it entered the day on Tuesday with a 23-17 record. The Cardinals have been good and could be even better with a little bit of an investment in the bullpen. The Cardinals don't have to do anything crazy. They don't need to go out and make some sort of game-changing deal. Simply, they just need one more veteran to come in and contribute.
The guy the Cardinals should target in free agency right now is former New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays veteran Chad Green. This is a guy who has a 3.43 career ERA in 382 total big league appearances. Green has plenty of high-leverage experience under his belt. Green has a 3.95 ERA in 19 total playoff appearances under his belt as well.
The Cardinals Need To Make A Move

In 2025, he pitched in 45 games for the Blue Jays and had a 5.56 ERA. The year before, he had a 3.21 ERA in 53 appearances in 2024. In 2023, he had a 5.25 ERA in 12 appearances. In 2022, he had a 3.00 ERA in 14 outings. If you look at his career, there have been some great seasons, like 2024. But there have been some misses, like 2025. The Cardinals have been a team that has shown that they can get a lot out of their young pitchers. Take a look at Michael McGreevy, for example. The Cardinals arguably could help to fix the 34-year-old after a tough 2025 season.
Green is a veteran righty who has already played in two difficult markets in the American League East with the Blue Jays and Yankees. For the Cardinals, they should be all over him. At this point in the season, you can't really find many relievers of his caliber simply just sitting there in free agency. St. Louis doesn't need to break the bank to make this team even better.
There is talent all throughout the roster, but the bullpen remains a weakness. Signing someone like Green to a minor league deal could be a solution. If the Cardinals signed him, they could give him a chance down in Triple-A and if he impressed, then call him up. At this point, he shouldn't be available and the Cardinals should take advantage.

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding St. Louis Cardinals On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com