*Photo from MLB Trade Rumors*
One member of a mid season bullpen makeover is back for another season. The St.Louis Cardinals and LHP TJ McFarland have agreed to a one year, $2.5 million deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The deal contains an additional $500,000 in bonuses. The Cardinals have confirmed the deal.
The specialty of McFarland is ground balls. He induces quite a lot of them, which helps him escape jams quicker, and, as evident last season, leads to a lot of double plays, including a few that went viral. How often did that happen? 13 of his appearances last season required 10 or fewer pitches, which also led McFarland to trust the defense behind him that took home 5 gold gloves the other night.
After signing with the Cardinals on July 1 after pitching in the minors with Washington, McFarland was added to the major league roster and made an instant impact in his new colors. McFarland posted a 4-1 record with a sharp 2.56 ERA, adding a 1.06 WHIP while throwing 38 2/3 innings in relief, appearing in 38 games, striking out 21 hitters.
In 9 big league seasons, split between 4 different teams, McFarland has a 24-15 record with a 3.95 ERA, with a 1.45 career WHIP across 439 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 261 hitters in 323 appearances, 3 of which were starts. McFarland has played for the Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Oakland Athletics in the majors.
McFarland's success in 2021 was very similar to fellow teammate Luis Garcia, who, like McFarland, signed with the Cardinals as a free agent at the start of July. Garcia appeared in 34 games, with a 3.24 ERA. Both McFarland and Garcia had scoreless streaks of 18 games in their tenure with the Cardinals, a big reason why they got back to the playoffs.
The Cardinals bullpen lost Andrew Miller to free agency this offseason, but, with McFarland back, is mostly returning the same group, with Garcia and McFarland in the middle innings, and Genesis Cabrera, Alex Reyes, and Giovanny Gallegos handling the high leverage spots at the end of the game.
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