The Cardinals have announced they are looking for a lefty reliever Bailey Horn without leaving the Tigers. Detroit designated him active last week. The Cardinals already have plenty of 40-man cap space, so a corresponding move isn’t necessary.
The 26-year-old Horn has now ridden the waiver carousel from Boston, to Detroit to St. Louis. Lous in a little over a month. He made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2024, pitching 18 innings and giving up 13 runs on 22 strikeouts, 10 walks and 13 strikeouts. A 6.50 ERA result may not be considered much, but Horn is the fifth player of 2020 (White Sox) to achieve something in the minors and was involved in one trade of note – when the Sox sent him crosstown. Cubs on contract for 2021 Ryan Tepera.
Last year with the Red Sox, who acquired him in April following another DFA, he threw 29 1/3 innings in Triple-A and logged a minuscule 2.15 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate. Horn’s 11.7% walk rate was very high, but those average numbers are generally representative of how he performed throughout his minor league career. He struck out 29% of his opponents in four minor league seasons but also issued walks to about 13% of the batters he faced.
Horn still has a minor league option for the remaining years, making him a versatile bullpen piece for the Cardinals in the short or possibly long term. He sits just shy of 95 mph on his heater and misses at-bats at a high enough rate to provide some intrigue for the Cards organization that shines with bullpen confidence (especially if it’s a closer Ryan Helsley sold before Opening Day or before the summer trade deadline).
One thing St. Louis is lacking, however, in left-handed depth. The horn will join the mix JoJo Romero, John King, Matthew Liberatore again Zack Thompson. Not all of them are proven in the majors, but it’s a solid group of southpaws all the same. Romero is only limited through 2026, so if things go south for the Cards in the first half of the season, he could find himself a trade chip in the summer, potentially opening the door even more to the newly acquired Horn.
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