THREE LOOSELY RELATED RELIEF PITCHERS:
In all honesty, I have no idea how to evaluate these three. Because they are all relievers and have established themselves at the major league level, I grouped them together. Otherwise, they’re very different.
25-John Gant (arb 2022, FA 2023)
John Gant might be in the most perplexing situation on the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster. He’s been very valuable out of the bullpen, yet every year there are rumors that he should be in the rotation. He’s arbitration-eligible for one more season, but he’s already 28 years old. I’m not sure the best role for him, or if he’ll be around after 2021. For now, however, he is a consistent reliever– every team is happy to have one of those.
24-Tyler Webb
Speaking of unusual, here comes Tyler Webb. Maybe the most beloved player of the Redbird Rants staff, the lefty should not be good according to many advanced metrics on how good his stuff is. Against those odds, he’s been effective for two full years now as a Cardinal. A slightly above average left-handed reliever only has so high of a ceiling, so despite being under team control for the next few years, he slots in here on this list.
23-Giovanny Gallegos
I really wanted to rank Giovanny Gallegos higher on this list, but I just couldn’t figure out how. Gallegos has been one of the top relievers out of the St. Louis bullpen for two seasons now. There’s just a sense that he’s reached his ceiling. If Gallegos can keep producing at a high level as a late-inning reliever and sometimes closer, then he will be a very important piece of many Cardinal teams in the future. For now, he stays at 23, behind some players with bigger roles or more potential.