Cardinals Sign Luke Gregerson

With the baseball winter meetings starting, that's usually when teams get active in free agency and trades. The St. Louis Cardinals need to try to improve their bullpen this offseason. On Sunday, the Cardinals made a move to start improving their bullpen signing free agent reliever Luke Gregerson to a two-year contract, worth $11 million. The contract includes a vesting option for 2020, which is worth $6 million or a $1 million buyout. If fans wonder who Luke Gregerson is, he's a familiar name to Cardinals fans.

He was drafted by the Cardinals in 2006 in the 8th round of the MLB draft. Gergerson, never appeared in the MLB as a Cardinal. They traded him along with RHP Mark Worrell to the San Diego Padres for shortstop Khalil Greene. That trade didn't workout too well for the Cardinals. Greene didn't do as well as hoped. Greene battled anxiety and had to retire from playing baseball. 

Gregerson, then developed into a solid setup man for the San Diego Padres, with an era of 3.24 in 2009. He stayed with the Padres until December 2013, when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for left fielder Seth Smith. He spent one season with the Athletics, having his best season going 5-5 with an era of 2.12. He left as a free agent after the 2014 season, signing with the Houston Astros.

In 2015, Gregerson became the Astros closer. He saved 31 games, and had an era of 3.10. He lost his closers job the next season, and went back into a setup role. In 2017, he helped the Astros win their first World Series in franchise history. He didn't do well in the regular season, with an era of 4.57 but he was lights out in the playoffs.

Gregerson, 33, has 9 years in the MLB. Over those years his career record is: 35 wins, 36 losses, 3.02 era, 623 games,  66 saves, 607 strikeouts, 170 walks. 599 innings, and a whip of 1.08.

It's a good solid free agent signing for the Cardinals. Gregerson should be a setup man for the Cardinals. Even with a bad regular season last year, he's still considered one of the most reliable setup men in the MLB.