Reliever Keynan Middleton and St. Louis Cardinals finalize $6M, 1-year contract

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — Right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton has agreed to a $6 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The team announced Saturday that the 30-year-old Middleton is joining the organization as its 10th pitching addition this offseason.

Middleton will earn $5 million in 2024 and the Cardinals have a $6 million option for 2025 with a $1 million buyout.

He has played seven seasons in the majors with the Angels (2017-20), Mariners (2021), Diamondbacks (2022), White Sox (2023) and Yankees (2023).

Middleton has a 10-8 career record with a 3.84 ERA, 15 saves and 199 strikeouts over his 194 1/3 innings pitched.

“Acquiring additional proven depth for our bullpen was something we have been focused on,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said in a statement. “Keynan’s experience in getting outs in the back half of games offers us another strong addition to the bullpen mix.”

Middleton combined for career bests last season with the White Sox and Yankees. He had 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, a .667 opponents' OPS and 57.4 groundball percentage.

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