A lot of the deal with the Cardinals’ slate of offseason strikes was on the group’s rebuilding of its rotation. Signings of Sonny Grey, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn have all paid off to various extents. One of many group’s less-heralded strikes, nonetheless, has confirmed equally essential for the 2024 season. The commerce of infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios to the Rays in alternate for reliever Andrew Kittredge has been a win-win swap. Tampa Bay has loved a .350 OBP and high quality protection at a number of positions from Palacios. The Playing cards have benefited from one of the crucial constant setup males within the Nationwide League. And whereas Kittredge is a free agent at season’s finish, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Submit-Dispatch experiences that the group expects to speak to Kittredge a couple of new contract within the close to future.
Kittredge, 34, is in his first full season again from 2022 Tommy John surgical procedure however has proven little indicators of rust following that arduous rehab. He pitched 11 2/3 innings for Tampa Bay late final season and has been one of the crucial closely used relievers in baseball this season. His 66 appearances tie him for tenth within the sport, and his 63 reduction innings are tied for thirty third amongst 173 certified relievers.
Kittredge hasn’t merely supplied quantity, nonetheless. His 33 holds lead the Nationwide League and path solely Houston’s Bryan Abreu (35) for the MLB lead. He’s pitched to a 2.86 ERA, posting barely better-than-average strikeout and stroll charges of 23.5% and seven.5%, respectively. Opponents have saved the ball on the bottom at a 44.5% clip in opposition to him — once more, a bit higher than league-average.
It’s honest to recommend that Kittredge might be in for some regression, notably as he enters what’ll be his age-35 season. His fee stats are all sharp, however none are elite. He’s benefited from a .257 common on balls in play that’s 35 factors shy of his profession mark, and he hasn’t precisely been a soft-contact savant; Statcast measures Kittredge with worse-than-average marks in hard-hit fee (40.9%, thirty first percentile), barrel fee (9.1%, twenty second percentile) and common exit velocity (89.5 mph, thirty second percentile).
That mentioned, Kittredge has all the time gotten by with middle-of-the-pack exit velocity and hard-hit marks — although this 12 months’s spike in barrel fee is uncharacteristic. This 12 months’s opponents’ chase fee, contact fee (each within the zone and off the plate) and swinging-strike fee are every proper in step with his profession marks as properly. Kittredge has misplaced a couple of mile per hour off each his sinker and slider relative to his peak exhibiting in 2021, however that season will probably stand out as the perfect of his profession. Even when there’s some regression in retailer, Kittredge appears to be like absolutely able to posting a mid-3.00s ERA with high quality fee stats throughout the board. This model of him continues to be unequivocally a worthwhile, efficient reliever.
Utilizing MLBTR’s Contract Tracker to have a look at latest precedent, there aren’t many multi-year offers for relievers starting of their age-35 season or later — notably non-closing relievers. Groups are more and more cautious to decide to gamers of their mid-to-late 30s, and relievers are in fact notably unstable. Chris Martin’s two-year, $17.5MM cope with the Purple Sox is the highest deal for setup males on this age bracket over the previous three years; his contract started in his age-37 season. Veterans like Collin McHugh (two years, $10MM with the Braves) and Ryan Brasier (two years, $9MM with the Dodgers) have additionally commanded multi-year pacts. Kittredge has a steadier observe report than Brasier. He throws significantly tougher than McHugh did on the time of his contract in Atlanta. A two-year deal between the McHugh and Martin figures might make sense for each events, speculatively talking.
If the Cardinals achieve conserving Kittredge in St. Louis, they’ll hold a late-inning corps that’s been a energy collectively for the 2025 season. Nearer Ryan Helsley is controllable by means of 2025. Fellow setup males JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez (a really good Rule 5 discover) are beneath membership management by means of 2026 and 2029, respectively.
