By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | July 31, 2016, 9:59 am CT
Photo: Chicago White Sox / Twitter
Updated at 10:59 am CT with additional details:
With just under 30 hours until the non-waiver trade deadline, the Cardinals have made a much-anticipated move to bolster their bullpen, acquiring veteran left-handed reliever Zach Duke from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Charlie Tilson.
Duke, 33, has posted a 2-0 record with a 2.63 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 37.2 innings – spread over a league-leading 53 appearances – with Chicago this season. A veteran of 12 big-league seasons and six major league teams, Duke, a converted starter, holds a 2.87 ERA and 1.22 WHIP since the start of 2014.
Although the southpaw has had great success against lefties in recent years, Duke has largely been deployed in a setup role this season (holding right-handers to a .182 average against), and will provide much-needed bullpen depth for the redbirds behind closer Seung-hwan Oh, joining Kevin Siegrist, Tyler Lyons, and Dean Kiekhefer as another left-handed relief option for manager Mike Matheny.
In the second year of a 3-year, $15 million contract, Duke will collect roughly $1.78 million of his $5 million 2016 salary from the redbirds before earning $5.5 million in 2017.
Tilson, 23, was the Cardinals’ 2nd-round pick in the 2011 draft, and was currently ranked by MLB.com as the 12th-best prospect in the organization. In 100 games with AAA Memphis this season, the left-handed-hitting center fielder was batting .282 with four home runs and 15 stolen bases.
Duke will take Tilson’s spot on the club’s 40-man roster, and a corresponding move on the 25-man roster will be made to add Duke prior to Tuesday’s game in Cincinnati. The club is also expected to activate Brandon Moss (ankle sprain) and Jhonny Peralta (thumb ligament strain) prior to that contest.
