The Cardinals announced Friday that theyve signed right-handed reliever to a minor league contract. The 30-year-old hasnt pitched in the Majors for two seasons and was non-tendered by the Astros after undergoing season-ending in 2022. Hes represented by CAA. Prior to that injury, James spent parts of four seasons in the Houston pen Barry Larkin Jersey as a hard-throwing but command-challenged middle reliever who could mi s bats in droves. Hes pitched 106 1/3 innings in the majors and carries a 4.64 ERA with a huge 34.3% strikeout rate but an ugly 13.2% walk rate. James averaged 97.1 mph on his heater from 2018-20 but saw that mark tumble to 94.8 mph in 2021. Injuries limited him to just 25 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the big leagues in 21, and he managed only 27 2/3 frames in the minors the following year before requiring surgery. Between his injuries and his history of command troubles, James is a project for the Cardinals and little more than a roll of the dice at this point. If he can get back to full strength and back on track in the upper minors, he could eventually be called up when injuries and/or poor performance create an opening in manager Oli Marmols relief corps. As it stands, however, the St. Louis bullpen figures to include , , , , and , with a handful of candidates for the final two spots ( , , , Rule 5 pick and non-roster invitee among them). Joe Oliver Jersey
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