Although the Cardinals owned the third-best bullpen ERA (2.82) this past season, the club has ventured out to Asia to find help as the club looks to return to the postseason for the sixth consecutive year.
According to multiple reports, the Cardinals have signed Korean relief ace Seung-hwan Oh and is expected to introduce the 33-year-old in a press conference on Monday in St. Louis.
Oh, a right-hander, has posted a 1.81 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 772:149 K:BB ratio over 646 1/3 innings across the last 11 seasons in Korea and Japan. Nicknamed "The Final Boss," Oh averages a fastball between 90-94 mph with mid-80s slider and cutter. His hardest throwing pitch has earned a nickname of "stone fastball" due to the ball's hard rising action.
The details of Oh's contract are not yet known, but the Cardinals didn't have to pay a posting fee due to Oh being an unrestricted free agent. He is expected to serve as a setup man in St. Louis ahead of closer Trevor Rosenthal.
Here's a clip of Oh pitching for Korea's Samsung Tigers during the 2014 season.