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On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they had acquired Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge in exchange for outfielder Richie Palacios. It is a great trade, giving St. Louis a veteran arm with late-inning experience, and Tampa Bay getting an exciting outfielder.
Kittredge is coming off a season where he appeared in 14 games, compiling a 3.09 ERA on 11.2 innings of work. Palacios is coming off a season where he appeared in 32 games, hitting .258/.307/.516 with six home runs and 16 RBIs.
Kittredge missed parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Prior to his injury, he was an All-Star reliever, and the Cards believe he still has some left in the tank.
During Kittredge's lone All-Star season in 2021, he appeared in 57 games, compiling a 1.88 ERA with eight saves to his name. If he can return to the pitcher he was, he will fit in well in St. Louis.
"For now I really like this move. Now Palacios does have some potential and if he becomes a solid player the complainers will never shut up about it, but right now, I like this" one fan posted.
"MASSIVE steal for the Cardinals" another fan posted.
While Cardinals fans are unhappy about seeing Richie Palacios leave, they are excited about Andrew Kittredge's potential. He adds solid depth to the bullpen, something the team has been searching for.
Fans are happy to see the team moving in the right direction. St. Louis had a horrible season in 2023, finishing the year with a 71-91 record, placing them last in the National League Central.
Cardinals fans are hoping the Andrew Kittredge trade does not birth the next Randy Arozarena
Cardinals fans are hoping this Andrew Kittredge trade does not turn into deja vu. Following the 2019 season, St. Louis traded Randy Arozarena to the Rays in exchange for Mathew Liberatore and Edgardo Rodriguez.
It does not take long to see how bad of a trade that turned out to be. Arozarena broke out last season and had an All-Star year. In 151 games, he hit .254/.364/.425 with a career-high 23 home runs and 83 RBIs.
Liberatore is coming off a season where he appeared in 22 games, compiling a 3-6 record with a 5.25 ERA. Rodriguez is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks, after signing a deal with them in December.
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