On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals added to their bullpen depth by acquiring left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations.
Misiewicz will likely have the opportunity to compete with Genesis Cabrera, JoJo Romero, Packy Naughton, and Connor Thomas for a spot in the bullpen.
But the trade came at a time when several viable and cost-efficient left-handers are still available.
Andrew Chafin, Matt Moore, Will Smith, Zack Britton, and Brad Hand are the options available.
This could mean that the Cards are now out of the running for any of the aforementioned relievers.
On Twitter, a Cardinals fan posed a question as to whether or not that was true.
Did the #STLCards chances at Andrew Chafin come to a close with the trade with KC yesterday?
— Ben Cerutti (@stlfanbc7) February 9, 2023
Of course, there is no way of knowing just yet.
Free agency will likely stretch into spring training with just a few days left in the offseason, meaning that if the Cardinals want to add another reliever, they still have time on their side.
But St. Louis does have plenty of left-handed depth.
Cabrera could be a potential candidate for a bounce-back season.
Pitchers like Chafin and Moore could certainly benefit the Cardinals, however.
Derrick Goold had reported in January that the team had shown interest in Chafin.
If they choose not to go that route, they still have several solid pieces in their ‘pen, including All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Zack Thompson, Andre Pallante, Jordan Hicks, Chris Stratton, and Jake Woodford.
But this is still an interesting question to consider as we move closer to the 2023 season.
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