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The Cardinals have signed reliever Randy Choate, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark.
The Cardinals had reportedly been shopping in the left-handed relief market, and this move should be the move they make to fill that need. The team has been relatively quiet at the Winter Meetings as they have a relatively deep team without too many holes to fill.
Choate, 37, pitched 38.2 innings last season for two different teams. He was traded to the Dodgers along with Hanley Ramirez in a July deal. He accumulated those 38.2 innings over 80 games, being the most extreme example of a lefty-specialist there is.
The left-hander pitched for the Marlins for a year and a half before being traded, and Tampa for a season before that. He made $1.5 million last season, so something in that range would make sense for both him and the team.
The contract will be for three years, reports Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. The left-hander will make $7.5 million total in the deal.
St Louis came within one win of winning the National League Pennant for the second year in a row last season, losing in 7 games to the eventual World Series winning San Francisco Giants. This move will bolster a bullpen that struggled at times last season.
