Today, the St. Louis Cardinals made a move to add to their pitching depth, acquiring left-hander Anthony Misiewicz in a trade with the Kansas City Royals.
Right-hander James Naile was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
According to team insider John Denton, Misiewicz will get a chance to compete for a lefty spot in the bullpen.
He’ll join Packy Naughton, Genesis Cabrera, Connor Thomas, and JoJo Romero in the competition for a final spot.
Denton noted one other thing that might grind the gears of Cardinals fans, that the addition of Misiewicz could take them out of the running for one of the top left-handed relievers still available, such as Matt Moore, Andrew Chafin, and Zack Britton.
Newly acquired #STLCards LHP Anthony Misiewicz will compete with Genesis Cabrera, Zack Thompson, Connor Thomas, Packy Naughton & JoJo Romero for a lefty spot out of the bullpen. The addition could mean the Cards are out of the Matt Moore/Andrew Chafin/Zack Britton sweepstakes.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 8, 2023
Obviously, nothing is set in stone, and no team would be opposed to having more than two solid left-handers in the bullpen.
This means that an addition for one of the remaining relief arms could still be possible.
More than anything, this is a depth move for the Cardinals.
However, some fans will not see it that way.
Misiewicz owns a career ERA of 4.43, so if that does in fact take them out of the running for Moore, Chafin, Britton, Brad Hand, and Will Smith, fans will certainly be frustrated.
But the Cardinals do have a solid bullpen in place, with pitchers such as Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Zack Thompson, Andre Pallante, Chris Stratton, and Jake Woodford in the fold.
One could make the argument that the Cardinals don’t need another reliever.
Regardless, you can’t please everybody, and some fans may not be too thrilled about this.
