Cardinals add to bullpen, signing Kenyan Middleton
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Saturday that they are signing free-agent relief pitcher Kenyan Middleton to a $6 million, one-year deal.
After a 2023 season to forget for the Cardinals, they have been looking to make improvements on their many holes throughout this offseason. While there were some offensive struggles, most of the issues were rooted in the pitching. Both the rotation and bullpen ranked in the bottom quarter of Major League teams when it came to Earned Run Average (ERA), which made it clear where they needed to lay their focus this offseason. With the signing of Middleton, the Cardinals made their 10th pitching addition in just this offseason.
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Standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 215 pounds, Middleton has achieved a record of 10 wins and 8 losses across 205 appearances. With a career ERA of 3.84, he's notched 15 saves and 23 holds, while racking up 199 strikeouts in 194.1 innings of work.
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Middleton, now 30, is joining his sixth team in seven seasons, clearly looking to be part of a competing team in 2024. He's spent all of his career on underperforming teams and is still waiting for his first shot at the playoffs.
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At the very least, this season, Middleton should get to feel mid to late-season competition, assuming the Cardinals can stay afloat in the gritty NL Central division. Teaming up Middleton with Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, and others, the Cardinals are poised to stay in the hunt this season, though only time will tell. Fans should remain optimistic until proven otherwise.
