*Photo from Korea JoongAng Daily*
If there's one thing you can count on from the St.Louis Cardinals, it's looking for upgrades to the team at every possible avenue. The Cardinals have signed RHP Aaron Brooks to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training, according to the team's transactions page.
One thing the Cardinals were looking for when the remade their starting and relief pitching staffs last season, on the fly, was pitchers with low walk rates and percentages. The signing of Brooks continues that trend, with Brooks having a 1.8 walks per nine innings rate, in both his major league and overseas playing career.
Brooks last played in the majors in 2019, when he spent time with both the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles. Brooks finished that season with a 6-8 record to go along with a 5.65 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, throwing 110 innings across 18 starts and 11 relief appearances.
Brooks was a former 9th round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in the 2011 draft, and spent 4 years in the major leagues. He finished his career with a 9-13 record and 6.49 ERA to go along with a 1.50 WHIP, striking out 123 hitters in 170 2/3 innings pitched, totaling 28 starts and 19 relief appearances.
After the 2019 season ended, Brooks went overseas and signed with the Kia Tigers of the KBO. In his Korean League career, Brooks kept up his strong walk rate, walking 40 hitters in 229 1/3 innings pitched, being used solely as a starting pitcher in Korea.
The signing of Brooks helps him attempt to re-start his MLB career in a comeback attempt, and it's helpful that he can both start and come out of the bullpen. If he makes the majors with the Cardinals, it would likely be in a relief role, given who's in their rotation.
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