Buy or Sell: St. Louis Cardinals’ 2022 Bullpen Projections

Giovanny Gallegos 

Gallegos 2022 Projection: W-L: 5-4, ERA: 3.52, SV: 7, IP: 69, SO/9:10, BB/9: 2.7, WHIP: 1.07

Verdict: Buy

Giovanni Gallegos has been the Cardinals best and most consistent bullpen arm over the last three seasons since being acquired in the Luke Voit trade. Over the course of his time with St. Louis, Gallegos has an ERA of 2.74 over 170.2 innings, while only amassing 19 total saves.

Gallegos had a dominant first half for St. Louis in 2021 but saw his numbers come down to earth a little bit after being inserted into the closer role in the second half. This may have been because of the new role, but likely had more to do with being used a ton throughout the season.

Overworking your relievers can be a risky game, and it would not be surprising the Gallegos to have a “good” but not “great” season like Baseball Reference is projecting. I would expect more saves from Gallegos, as he will likely get the majority of the opportunities to at least start the season, but don’t be surprised if Oli Marmol uses Gallegos as more of a weapon in big spots, rather than a traditional closer.