The St. Louis Cardinals probably aren’t a bad team to land with for free agents on the fringes of major league roster contention.
After trading Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, it’s pretty clear that the Cardinals are entering rebuilding mode. That makes expensive free-agent pitching signings unlikely right now, and it means pitchers without much major league experience can compete for spots on the staff.
The day after the Gray deal became official, St. Louis made its next roster move, and it involved a pitcher who threw for three major league teams this past season.
Cardinals pick up RHP Scott Blewett
On Wednesday, the Cardinals signed 29-year-old right-handed pitcher Scott Blewett to a minor-league deal, according to the transactions log on his official roster page. Blewett elected free agency at the end of September after a stint with the Baltimore Orioles.
After spending the first three seasons of his major league career with the Kansas City Royals, Blewett bounced around this year, starting with the Minnesota Twins, getting cut and picked up by the Orioles, then was traded to the Atlanta Braves for cash, only to be traded right back to the Orioles less than two months later.
With all that moving around, Blewett managed to set a new career-high in major league innings at 44 1/3. He’d love to grow that total in St. Louis, but this early in the offseason, it’s hard to know what his chances are and who he’ll be competing with for middle and long relief roles.
In 72 2/3 career major league innings, Blewett holds a 4.21 ERA. He’s struck out 61 batters, walked 32, and pitched to an opponent batting average of .255.
On a Cardinals team without many slam-dunk options, Blewett will find himself in a heated battle during spring training. If he doesn’t make the major league roster, it will be interesting to see if his contract contains some sort of in-season opt-out.
