Former KC Royals pitcher hopes for fresh start with St. Louis Cardinals

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just four days, and some former Kansas City Royals players are only now finding out where they'll be heading. In the last two weeks alone, both Adam Frazier and Tommy Pham have signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Garrett Hampson has joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Now, another former Royal has found a new home.

On February 7, KPRC2's Ari Alexander reported that the St. Louis Cardinals have signed pitcher Nick Anderson to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. If he makes the team's Opening Day roster, he will earn $1.1 million for the 2025 season, but if he doesn't, his contract includes a clause to allow another team to add him instead.

While Anderson split the 2024 season between three different organizations, he only made major league appearances for the Royals. Going into spring training, the 34-year-old will be looking to revive his career, and earning a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster is the first step.

Former Royals pitcher Nick Anderson signs with Cardinals organization

After starting his career in the independent baseball Frontier League, Anderson joined the Minnesota Twins in August 2015, and he was traded to the Miami Marlins in November 2018. He made his major league debut with the Marlins on March 28, 2019, but just four months later, the right-hander was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays alongside pitcher Trevor Richards, with Miami receiving outfielder Jesús Sánchez and pitcher Ryne Stanek in return.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with the Rays, Anderson went 2-1 with an incredible 0.55 ERA and 0.49 WHIP across 16.1 innings of work, earning a selection to the All-MLB First Team. Despite his impression regular-season stats, Anderson didn't fare as well through Tampa Bay's playoff campaign, during which he set an unfortunate MLB record for making seven consecutive postseason appearances and allowing a run in each one.

From there, Anderson's career took blow after blow.

In 2021, a partial tear of his elbow ligament limited him to just six appearances, and after undergoing an internal brace procedure at the end of season, he was ruled out for most of 2022. The Rays finally reactivated Anderson from the IL on August 22, 2022, only to option him to Triple-A the same day, and he became a free agent after being placed on outright waivers at the end of the season. Anderson signed a non-guaranteed split contract with the Atlanta Braves for 2023, but a right shoulder strain ended his season in mid-July.

Before the 2024 season, the Rays traded Anderson to the Royals in exchange for cash considerations. Pitching out of Kansas City's struggling bullpen last year, he went 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2 holds, and 1 save across 35.2 innings, and after continuing to miss time due to a shoulder strain and other injury issues, he was designated for assignment on July 13 to make room on the 40-man roster for newly-acquired reliever Hunter Harvey. Anderson was released five days later, and minor-league deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles — neither of whom promoted him to the majors — took him to the end of 2024, after which he became a free agent.

Going into 2025 with the Cardinals — the eighth organization of his professional career and his fourth in less than two years — Anderson is looking for a fresh start. When he's healthy, the 34-year-old has proven himself to be a fierce presence on the mound, currently sitting on a career 3.18 ERA in 158.1 major league innings with a 31.6% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. Unfortunately, his durability — or lack thereof — has severely limited him.

Signing Anderson is an obvious risk, but if he can somehow manage stay healthy this season, he will almost certainly be a strong addition to the Cardinals' roster, offering a late-inning option at the back of the bullpen. So, is a full injury-free season on the cards for Anderson? Only time will tell.