The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday that they signed free-agent right-hander Nick Anderson to a minor-league contract with a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. The 34-year-old veteran reliever has appeared in 165 games over five MLB seasons since debuting with the Miami Marlins in 2019. In his time in the majors, he has put up a nice 3.18 ERA with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate in 158 1/3 relief innings. Anderson pitched for the Kansas City Royals in 2024, going 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA (5.07 FIP), a 1.40 WHIP, one save, 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 35 2/3 innings. He hasn't been a big strikeout guy since his first full season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, when he struck out 44.8% of the hitters he faced. In comparison, he had a weak 19% strikeout rate for KC last year. Anderson could provide veteran relief depth for the Red Birds, but he should remain off the fantasy radar for now.
