The Cardinals introduced Friday that they’ve signed righty Nick Anderson to a minor league deal and invited him to main league spring coaching. Anderson, a shopper of Gaeta Sports activities Administration, not too long ago labored out for giant league scouts to indicate his readiness after an injury-marred 2024 season. Ari Alexander of KPRC-2 stories that Anderson would earn $1.1MM within the majors. His contract accommodates an upward mobility clause that enables one other staff so as to add him to their Opening Day roster if he’s not going to interrupt camp with the Cardinals.
Anderson additionally completed out the 2023 season on the injured listing on account of a shoulder pressure. He started the 2022 season on the shelf whereas mending from an inner brace process the prior 12 months, and his ’22 marketing campaign ended on account of plantar fasciitis. In his injury-dotted massive league profession, Anderson has additionally missed on account of a again pressure and a forearm situation.
It’s a laundry listing of accidents, however Anderson has sometimes been glorious when wholesome. Relationship again to his 2019 MLB debut, he’s pitched 158 1/3 main league innings and logged a 3.18 earned run common. Anderson has 39 holds and 10 saves in his profession, and his price stats are eye-catching: 31.6% strikeout price, 7.3% stroll price and a gaudy 15.4% swinging-strike price.
The 34-year-old Anderson provides the Cardinals an upside play of their late-inning combine if he can keep wholesome. He hasn’t finished that over the course of a full season since 2019, however there’s no hurt for the Cardinals in looking. A wholesome Anderson could be a boon to the bullpen, and he’s throwing nicely this summer time he’d be a pure commerce chip as St. Louis seems to restock its farm system. Anderson has 5.094 years of main league service to his credit score, so there’s no surplus membership management right here. He’ll attain six years of huge league service with one other 78 days within the majors, so he’s very more likely to find yourself a free agent at season’s finish a method or one other.
The Cardinals’ bullpen heading into 2025 — like their roster as a complete — is essentially unchanged. The membership has reportedly rebuffed curiosity in star nearer (and pending free agent) Ryan Helsley regardless of taking a step again to give attention to participant improvement. JoJo Romero, Ryan Fernandez, Matthew Liberatore and John King are among the many different choices for supervisor Oli Marmol. If Anderson makes the membership, it appears truthful to anticipate that he’ll issue into setup duties and maybe even get a crack at closing video games if Helsley is moved or lands on the injured listing himself.
