A few days ago, the Cardinals acquired left-handed reliever Justin Bruhl from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations. In order to do this, they DFA\u2019d Zak Kent and while I think Kent was meant as a lottery ticket, I am also sure they are making a calculated gamble he will go unclaimed. He was DFA\u2019d before and all the teams worse than the Cardinals did not claim him. All the teams better than the Cardinals might not have a need for a lottery ticket like Zak Kent.<\/p>\n
And besides, Kent is right-handed. I wouldn\u2019t call the right-handed elements of the bullpen a strength, but the late inning guys are certainly there – Riley O\u2019Brien, Matt Svanson – and they have a mess of last chance guys – Ryan Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo, and Chris Roycroft. The latter two have one option remaining. Roycroft and Fernandez were both promising in 2024, and Graceffo had great advanced stats (in a way I don\u2019t totally believe, but whatever). Matt Pushard will have to be on the roster to stay in the organization and hopefully we see a lot of Andre Granillo.<\/p>\n
And behind them, I imagine the Cardinals would very much be interested in seeing the MLB debuts of Austin Love, Luis Gastelum, and Skyler Hales. Gastelum struck out 45% of hitters in AA, so don\u2019t be surprised if we see him sooner than you\u2019d think. Hales has 23 games experience in AAA and finished the season pretty strong (10 Ks to 2 BBs in 6 innings with one earned run). And lastly, Love is already 27 next year – if he\u2019s pitching well, there\u2019s no reason to keep him in AAA. All three will need to be added to the 40 man at the end of the 2026 season, normally teams are more prone to promote these guys than someone who can stick around without a 40 man spot. I also have a feeling either Andre Pallante or Kyle Leahy will be in the bullpen if they do not win a starting spot.<\/p>\n
This is not a group of right-handed pitchers you fear, although it could be. But the point is that it is a group of right-handed pitchers who we need to see what they have. Hopefully Kent is also in this mix. For lefties, it\u2019s a bit of a weaker group and especially so if JoJo Romero is traded. If Romero is traded, they don\u2019t have a late inning lefty you can trust like they do with the right-handed pitchers. But they have compiled a decent amount of potential options. So today, in light of the Bruhl move, I would like to look at all the potential left-handed relievers for the 2026 bullpen.<\/p>\n
Projection (Steamer): 22.2 K%, 9.3 BB%, 48 GB%, .298 BABIP, 3.56 ERA\/3.84 FIP\/3.95 xFIP<\/p>\n
Maybe the Gray and Contreras deals have unfairly made me expect any possible trade chip to actually be traded. But with a 2.07 ERA last year and a good, but not great projection, it does feel like the time is right to trade Romero. It\u2019s possible the offers aren\u2019t there – again, Romero is more good than great despite the ERA.<\/p>\n
Or rather, to achieve his numbers, he was virtually two different pitchers: he was super lucky and not particularly dominant in the 1st half. Through May, he struck out 13 batters and walked 12. From July to the end of the year though, he struck out 35 batters to just 2 walks. Basically, if someone is valuing him more like the pitcher he\u2019s been the last two years judging by xFIP (or even FIP), that\u2019s a good piece in the bullpen. But one year of a good piece in the bullpen is probably going to net you less than an elite arm – which he absolutely was in the 2nd half – at the deadline.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very much a risk. Without knowing what is being offered, it\u2019s hard to judge. Romero has been fairly inconsistent and certainly encountered injury trouble (less so as a Cardinal, but the history is there), so if there\u2019s a good return on the table, it\u2019s hard to pass that up. With how well he pitched in the 2nd half though, man I kind of understand if you want to wait until the deadline and gamble that he\u2019s elite again at the same time.<\/p>\n
Projection: 19.5 K%, 9 BB%, 47.5 GB%, 3.89 ERA\/4.16 FIP\/4.29 xFIP<\/p>\n
Bruhl is like a slightly more modern looking John King. He has a normal, albeit low strikeout rate. He has a normal walk rate. And he gets groundballs, though not to the extent of King. He did strike out his fair share of batters in 2025, with a 27.5 K%, but he has a very low chase percentage and whiff percentage, and it\u2019s typically very difficult to strike people out without hitters chasing pitches or swinging and missing. And since he only pitched 13.2 IP and has a career 17.9 K%, I\u2019m inclined to think he will not strike many hitters out.<\/p>\n
But the good version of him and maybe even the bad version of him should get groundballs. In 2024, he had a 60 GB% in limited innings at the big league level and 46.4% in AAA. Last year, his GB% rate in AAA was 58.4%. He\u2019s kind of similar to Romero actually, in that he\u2019s not really a strikeout pitcher, but he does get groundballs. Romero strikes out more and gets more groundballs (and is proven) so he\u2019s better, but a lesser Romero statline is certainly possible.<\/p>\n
Projection: 17.9 K%, 8.3 BB%, 45.1 GB%, .295 BABIP, 4.07 ERA\/4.33 FIP\/4.47 xFIP<\/p>\n
He\u2019s mentioned third because he\u2019s still on the 40 man roster. We are on a third variation of essentially the same skillset – not many strikeouts, okay at not walking guys, gets groundballs – but we are getting a worse version each time. Signed from Indy ball though, Racquet is a good story and in my mind, keeps defying the odds by not getting removed from the 40 man roster. Cardinals apparently actually believe in him, at least more than Zak Kent. I would think anyway, or it\u2019s a weird choice to pick Kent over Racquet.<\/p>\n
Projection: 15.9 K%, 8.7 BB%, 41.8 GB%, .294 BABIP, 4.46 ERA\/4.67 FIP\/4.88 xFIP<\/p>\n
I mean yes we\u2019ve went from a pitcher with proven MLB success and a dominant 2nd half gradually to what could plausibly be called a failed MLB pitcher so far, but nonetheless kind of wish the Cardinals had a lefty who struck people out. I am, for the record, not at all a believer in Shuster, think he\u2019s here to pad the Memphis roster and nothing more. Circumstances might put him in the MLB and he has 141 career innings so he won\u2019t embarrass you if you don\u2019t think anybody else is ready, but yeah he struck out less than 17% of batters in AAA last year. He\u2019ll be 27. He hasn\u2019t really even been good in AAA yet in his career. I think he\u2019s just here so you can have a guy you are comfortable throwing to the wolves if desperate and don\u2019t think anyone else is quite ready.<\/p>\n
Projection: 21.8 K%, 7.8 BB%, 46.2 BB%, .297 BABIP, 3.56 ERA\/3.75 FIP\/3.90 xFIP<\/p>\n
I am however 100 percent on the Packy Naughton train. I do think his ZiPS will be significantly more pessimistic, just kind of think Steamer isn\u2019t punishing him enough for essentially missing three full seasons. Although he was very good when he did pitch in 2024 actually. Yeah I\u2019m on this train, full speed ahead. Hopefully, he\u2019s finally healthy, would you believe he still has four years of team control.<\/p>\n
Projection: 21.1 K%, 10.1 BB%, 43.2 GB%, .293 BABIP, 4.08 ERA\/4.33 FIP\/4.39 xFIP<\/p>\n
The story of Thompson is an interesting one. He debuted as a multi-inning reliever and though his 2.08 ERA probably overrated how good he was (3.89 FIP), he was still someone you want in the bullpen. He tried his hand at starting and was perfectly solid at it, though he still showed huge splits against righties and lefties. When he came into 2024, it looks like he was deeply affected by injury which also knocked out his 2025. I imagine he\u2019s targeted for the bullpen this year after not pitching at all in 2025. You never know.<\/p>\n
Projection: 19.7 K%, 11.4 BB%, 42.6 GB%, .291 BABIP, 4.32 ERA\/4.65 FIP\/4.82 xFIP<\/p>\n
Roster Resource has Watson beginning the year in Springfield, which is probably right, but he did have a 30.5 K% and 1.11 ERA. I would say for relievers, if someone pitches that well in AA, they\u2019re prone to make an MLB appearance in the following season. He does not need to be put on the 40 man roster until after the 2027 season, so he does have that going against him. He is another Indy ball signing, but Watson is only 24 next year.<\/p>\n
Projection: 19.2 K%, 10.7 BB%, 40.3 GB%, .290 BABIP, 4.50 ERA\/4.75 FIP\/4.84 xFIP<\/p>\n
Whether or not you believe in Cooper Hjerpe the starter, he threw zero innings in 2025. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. The recovery times vary and the Cardinals will be as cautious as possible, but there\u2019s a strong chance he will be ready early enough that managing his innings might be difficult. He\u2019s on the 40 man roster. Maybe he\u2019ll be put in the MLB bullpen purely as a way to manage his innings, then next year he goes back on the starter schedule. And if it goes well enough, maybe he\u2019ll even be depended on to be a starter on Opening Day next year.<\/p>\n
There are obviously more. Quinn Mathews, Pete Hansen, or Ixan Henderson might ultimately start their MLB career in the bullpen, but none of them are on the 40, and I imagine they\u2019ll be saved to start if possible. Either they are pitching well enough to get promoted, which presumably deserve to be a start, or they aren\u2019t, in which case they\u2019ll probably stay in AAA as a starter. If they do end up in the bullpen, I imagine it\u2019s of the long relief variety, not a one-inning specialist.<\/p>\n
In addition to them, they have a wannabe John King in Alex Cornwell, a groundball specialist, who has had at least a 50% groundball rate at every level. His issue is that – well read above – he\u2019s behind a bunch of guys who are a better version of him. Then there\u2019s the obvious case of Liam Doyle, but he threw 95 innings last year so he won\u2019t be terribly innings restricted, the Cardinals are not likely to be in the playoff hunt, and Doyle doesn\u2019t need to be added to the 40 – I can\u2019t imagine they start his clock in the bullpen unless the Cardinals have a surprise season en route to a playoff experience. Short of that, if he\u2019s MLB ready, why not start games when called up?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few days ago, the Cardinals acquired left-handed reliever Justin Bruhl from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2403],"tags":[5,160,4,6213,673,67,4311,4310,38503],"class_list":{"0":"post-511624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-louis-cardinals","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-cardinals","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-st-louis-cardinals-news","12":"tag-st-louis","13":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","14":"tag-stlouis","15":"tag-stlouiscardinals","16":"tag-veb-daily"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115860685871786665","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}