Almost four years ago the Cardinals looked to push the market to sign a specific lefty reliever, a specialist who they felt could fill a vacancy in their roster.
The Cardinals added a third year to their offer to woo Randy Choate, and even with that extra time found the veteran, single-batter lefty to be an odd fit for their bullpen. They tried him in a variety of assignments beyond the one that was clearly his best. Now back shopping for a lefty and negotiating again this past week with the same agency, the Cardinals raced the marketplace to sign Brett Cecil on Monday for that same spot – but a vastly different role.