The Rangers acquired Stratton and left-hander Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals on Sunday in exchange for left-hander John King, infielder Thomas Saggese and right-hander Tekoah Roby, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Stratton is the secondary piece in the deal for the Rangers, who will fortify their rotation with the addition of Montgomery. Meanwhile, Stratton should work as a setup man in Texas, likely settling in behind closer Will Smith and Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen hierarchy. Playing under a $2.8 million salary in his final year of arbitration, Stratton has produced a 4.36 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 59:17 K:BB in 53.2 innings with St. Louis. He'll likely set himself up for a nice pay raise in free agency this winter if he can finish the season on a high note with his new club.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Notches first save
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Stratton picked up the save in Wednesday's 6-4 victory over the Marlins, allowing a run on two hits while logging a strikeout over an inning of work.
The Cardinals turned to Stratton to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning, with Jordan Hicks and Giovanny Gallegos both having pitched in consecutive games. Stratton allowed a run on a Luis Arraez double before coaxing a flyout from Jorge Soler to earn his first save this season. The 32-year-old Stratton has a 4.17 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 53:13 K:BB across 49.2 innings this year. Stratton could be a name to watch if the Cardinals elect to move some relief pitching at the trade deadline, though Ryan Helsley (forearm) looms as another obstacle to saves down the road.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Stuck with loss Monday
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Stratton (1-1) allowed a run on three hits over one inning, taking the loss Monday versus the Giants.
Stratton has been scored on in four of his last 10 outings, yielding nine runs over 13.1 innings in that span. He's added a 15:5 K:BB over those appearances. For the season, he has a passable 3.93 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 39:8 K:BB over 36.2 innings in a middle-relief role. His inconsistency of late makes it unlikely that he'll get many late-inning looks even with Ryan Helsley (forearm) on the injured list.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Picks up first win
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Stratton (1-0) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two batters over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Cubs.
Stratton got the last out of the seventh inning and stayed in for the eighth in a 4-4 game. The Cardinals pulled ahead in the ninth, and Giovanny Gallegos earned the save to give Stratton his first win in 14 appearances this season. Stratton has done relatively well in a low-leverage role with a 2.95 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB over 21.1 innings. He's logged the most innings of any Cardinals reliever this season, but his ability to cover multiple frames likely prevents him from being a candidate for save chances.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Some struggles in spring
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Stratton has allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings across four Grapefruit League appearances.
He's also struck out three batters. Stratton has 11 career saves, but he's likely ticketed for a middle-relief assignment in his first full season with the Cardinals. The right-hander has had issues with permitting too many baserunners throughout his career -- he's never posted a BB/9 lower than 3.4 or a WHIP lower than 1.30. He could also be a long-shot candidate to be a spot starter, though he's only made six starts over the last four seasons and the Cardinals have a surplus of potential starters.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Agrees to one-year deal
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Stratton signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Cardinals on Thursday.
Stratton was traded from the Pirates to the Cardinals last season and will remain in St. Louis for at least one more year after reaching a new deal ahead of Friday's non-tender deadline. Over 60 appearances (one start) in 2022, he posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 63.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Left off wild-card roster
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Stratton was left off the Cardinals' wild-card roster Friday.
Stratton will begin the postseason as a member of the Cardinals' taxi squad after failing to be selected for their wild-card roster. The right-hander is a surprising omission from the postseason roster after posting a 1.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 16 strikeouts over 18 innings in his final 16 appearances of the regular season. He'll have another shot to join the active unit if St. Louis advances in the postseason.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Defeats former team
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Stratton (10-4) earned the extra-inning win Tuesday, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings.
Stratton's 10 wins are tied with Toronto's Adam Cimber for the most among major-league relievers this year. Since the start of September, Stratton has allowed just two runs on eight hits and four walks over 10.1 innings. The righty owns a 4.26 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 60:25 K:BB through 63.1 innings between the Cardinals and the Pirates this season. Stratton will likely serve as a multi-inning reliever for the Cardinals during the postseason.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Grabs another win
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Stratton (9-4) retired the only batter he faced to earn the win Friday over the Reds.
Stratton got the last out of the top of the seventh inning before the Cardinals rallied ahead in the bottom half of the frame. Stratton has picked up two wins in his last three appearances, and he's logged a solid 3.06 ERA despite a 1.47 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB in 17.2 innings with the Cardinals since joining them from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Collects win Sunday
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Stratton (8-4) pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning and earned the win Sunday over the Pirates.
Stratton got the last two outs of the eighth inning, and the Cardinals exploded for four runs to take the lead in the ninth. Over his last nine outings, he's allowed just one run and four hits, though he's also issued seven walks in 12.1 innings in that span. The improved pitching has trimmed his ERA to 4.37 with a 1.53 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 57.2 innings between the Cardinals and the Pirates this year. He's earned three wins since he was traded in early August, but he hasn't picked up a save or a hold with his new team.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Snags win Monday
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Stratton (7-4) allowed two walks and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Monday over the Reds.
Starter Miles Mikolas couldn't complete the necessary five frames to get the win, so it went to Stratton instead in a game the Cardinals thoroughly controlled. Through nine appearances with St. Louis, Stratton has allowed six runs (five earned) with a 14:8 K:BB through 12.1 innings. He's pitched to a 4.75 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 51:21 K:BB through 53 innings overall across 49 appearances between the Cardinals and the Pirates. He saw some setup work with Pittsburgh but has mainly functioned as a middle reliever since his move at the trade deadline.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Grabs first win with new team
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Stratton (6-4) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four over 1.2 innings, earning the win Sunday over the Yankees.
Stratton didn't have a great outing, allowing two runners inherited from Adam Wainwright to score in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Stratton was charged with two more runs, but the Cardinals never fell behind, and he ended up with his first win in three appearances with his new team. This was the first time the right-handed had allowed multiple runs since June 27. He has a 5.08 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 43:15 K:BB across 44.1 innings between St. Louis and Pittsburgh this year. He picked up two saves and eight holds with the Pirates, but he's expected to see lower-leverage assignments with the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Goes to Cardinals
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The Cardinals acquired Stratton and left-hander Jose Quintana from the Pirates on Monday in exchange for right-hander Johan Oviedo and corner infielder Malcom Nunez, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The veteran reliever hasn't had a great season, posting a 5.09 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 40.2 innings. However, the Cardinals will slot him into their middle-relief ranks with the hope he can get on track and boost their bullpen the rest of the way.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Opening Tuesday
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Stratton has been named the starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Stratton hasn't tossed more than two innings all season, so he's set to serve as the opener before making way for a primary pitcher, who has yet to be named. Stratton has allowed just one run over his last five appearances, walking two and fanning five over that stretch (3.2 innings).
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Stuck in setup role
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Stratton struck out the side to record a scoreless eighth inning and earn a hold Tuesday against the Dodgers.
Stratton was called upon to protect a one-run lead and earned his fifth hold. However, he appears to be out of the picture for saves in Pittsburgh, as the team turned to Wil Crowe in the ninth inning with David Bednar unavailable after throwing 50 pitches Monday. Despite a bloated 4.34 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, Stratton has held opponents scoreless in 15 of his 20 appearances this season and should remain locked into the top setup role for the Pirates.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Picks up second win
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Stratton (2-1) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one across a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win Sunday against the Reds.
Stratton entered the game in the eighth inning, and he allowed both a walk and a double in a scoreless game to get into a jam. However, he induced a strikeout and flyout to escape the inning. It was only Stratton's fourth scoreless appearance in his last seven outings, and he has not earned a save since April 22. For the campaign, Stratton owns a 5.40 ERA with a 14:5 K:BB across 13.1 innings.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Blows save in loss
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Stratton (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits during the ninth inning of Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers. He didn't record a walk or strikeout.
After getting the first batter he faced to lineout, Stratton allowed four consecutive singles -- including a go-ahead, two-run single by Andrew McCutchen -- to blow his first save of the season. This is a tough blow for the veteran, who is currently competing for late-inning, high-leverage situations with fellow reliever David Bednar.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Picks up second straight save
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Stratton allowed two hits during a scoreless ninth inning to record the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Cubs. He had one strikeout and zero walks.
Stratton earned his first save of the season in Thursday's series opener and returned to the mound for save No. 2 on Friday. The right-hander is the first Pittsburgh reliever with multiple saves this year, as fellow late-inning option David Bednar worked in a setup role the past two days. Stratton has given up two runs on six hits with a 5:0 K:BB through 5.1 innings and should continue to see at least semi-regular save chances.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Notches first save
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Stratton picked up a save against the Cubs on Thursday, striking out one in a perfect inning of work.
Stratton was summoned in the ninth inning with the Pirates nursing a one-run lead, and he had no trouble closing out the win, retiring the Cubs in order on 11 pitches. Pittsburgh indicated prior to the season that Stratton and David Bednar would split closing duties, and that appears to be playing out thus far, as each reliever -- in addition to Wil Crowe -- has picked up one save. The Pirates aren't likely to produce a substantial number of save opportunities, so a split closer situation isn't ideal from a fantasy perspective.
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Pirates' Chris Stratton: Splitting closer's role
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Pittsburgh plans to split the closer's role between Stratton and David Bednar to begin the season, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Stratton picked up eight saves and had a 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 86:33 K:BB across 79.1 innings last season, and he split save chances with Bednar after Richard Rodriguez was traded to Atlanta. Manager Derek Shelton will employ a similar strategy to begin 2022, with both pitchers being utilized as the closer and setup man depending on the night.
