St. Louis Cardinals: Could Ross Detwiler save the bullpen?

The St. Louis Cardinals have worked their top bullpen arms hard.  Could newly available Ross Detwiler provide some much-needed relief?

Ross Detwiler was designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins on Monday, meaning any team can claim him if it is willing to pay the remainder of his salary, which for Detwiler would only be the rest of his $850k 2021 earnings.

St. Louis Cardinals bullpen stalwarts Alex Reyes, Giovanny Gallegos, and Genesis Cabrera have appeared in 59, 60, and 61 games, respectively, with Reyes clearly demonstrating he’s weary after throwing a mere 26-2/3 major league innings total over the previously three seasons.  And Cabrera recently had an infamous appearance that showed he might be getting gassed.

Gallegos has recently assumed closer duties, and Andrew Miller is back, though he sports an unimpressive 4.78 ERA.  In a nutshell, help is needed.

And this is where Detwiler could step in.  Another lefty in the pen is always a nice option, and while he sports his own unsightly ERA (4.96), there is cause for optimism. As Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors points out, Detwiler body of work this year as a reliever is much more impressive.

Take out two of his “starts” (really, he was the opener) in which he allowed 13 runs in 3.2 innings, and he’s posted a 2.59 ERA. What team couldn’t use that? If Detwiler was used strictly out of the pen, ideally such meltdowns could be avoided.

Detwiler’s overall body of work has yielded a thoroughly mediocre 4.58 ERA and 89 ERA+, so adding him to the Cardinals’ bullpen is hardly a guarantee of success.  But when a pitcher who largely has done good work this year becomes available for virtually nothing, there’s little reason not to try to catch lightning in a bottle.

Is Detwiler likely to be St. Louis’ savior?  No, but how about giving him the opportunity to give the rest of the bullpen members a bit of a respite the last few weeks of the regular season?