ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals, entering the offseason with hopes to transform their pitching staff, make a move to address their bullpen.
The Cardinals acquired relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios.
The Cardinals completed the deal Friday afternoon. MLB Insider Joel Sherman first reported the deal was close. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first confirmed it was done.
Kittredge is 33 years old and entering his eighth MLB season. He earned an All-Star nod in 2021. Tommy John surgery limited him to just 31 games over the last two seasons, but when healthy, he proved effective to the tune of a 3.13 ERA and a 24-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has a career 3.85 ERA over 181 MLB games.
“We are excited to add Andrew’s experience and proven abilities to our bullpen,” said Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak via a news release. “Prior to his elbow injury, Andrew was an All-Star reliever, and we think his addition will benefit us greatly now that he is back to full health.”
Palacios joined the Cardinals in a deal involving cash considerations last year and appears to be on the move once again. He had a respectable audition with the Cardinals, hitting .258 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 32 games, many as the 2023 season winded down toward the finish.
It appears this was just a one-for-one swap, and no players or pieces were involved.
This is the second trade the Cardinals have completed with a player at the MLB level this offseason, moving outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a deal with the Boston Red Sox last month.
