St. Louis Cardinals Continue Bullpen Shakeup, Promote Left-Hander

Thursday the St. Louis Cardinals continued the roster makeover they began by releasing Miguel Batista, promoting Raul Valdes from AAA Memphis and returning 22-year-old flamethrower Maikel Cleto to AA Springfield. Valdes, a 33-year-old Cuban defector whose circuitous path to the Major Leagues led him to make his debut with the New York Mets last year, struck out a batter an inning in 59 innings last year, but was left to sign a minor league contract with the Cardinals due to problems with home runs and walks. Compared to Trever Miller and Brian Tallet's intense struggles in the first three months of this season, that mustn't seem so bad to the Cardinals. 

Valdes was, back in 2005, property of the Chicago Cubs, but his struggles in the high minors led him out of organized baseball until 2010, when the New York Mets brought him back for an audition and liked what they saw. Valdes had a reverse platoon split in his action last year, but he's got a classic lefty reliever repertoire, throwing predominantly a high-80s fastball and a loopy slider. 

Miguel Batista Released By St. Louis Cardinals In Bullpen Shakeup

Given the beating the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen has taken in recent weeks a shakeup was inevitable, and it began Wednesday when veteran reliever Miguel Batista, brought in as a free agent in the 2010 offseason, back when Ryan Franklin was still the closer, was released. In surprisingly candid comments following the move general manager John Mozeliak said that at some point the roster makeup had to be about production, in spite of Batista's reputation as a clubhouse presence.

With Franklin and the Cardinal's veteran left-handers, Trever Miller and Brian Tallet, still struggling, more moves are likely on the way for this bullpen. Maikel Cleto, the 22-year-old with a high-90s fastball who has twice now served as a sacrificial presence in the team's strained bullpen, is also likely to return to his rotation spot in AA Springfield in the near future.

The Cardinals have limited options still remaining in AAA Memphis, though it seems likely they'll exhaust them before making a move outside the organization. Raul Valdes, most recently of the New York Mets, has a high strikeout rate for a left-hander and was moved earlier this year back into the Memphis bullpen; Jess Todd, a former Cardinals prospect who returned to the organization this year after being waived by the Yankees, is probably the best right-handed option remaining. Bryan Augenstein, one of the surprises in the Cardinals' rotation earlier in the year, is due to come off the 60-day disabled list shortly; he was unimpressive in April, but the Cardinals will have to either give him Batista's spot on the 40-man roster or risk losing him to another team.