5 relievers the St. Louis Cardinals need to acquire

As the St. Louis Cardinals look for bullpen reinforcements, here are 5 relievers that they need to acquire.

Heading into the 2022 season, the St. Louis Cardinals had some questions surrounding their bullpen and who could be relied on. The team re-signed T.J. McFarland and added relievers Drew VerHagen and Nick Wittgren to add to guys like Giovanni Gallegos, Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, and others. Although some of those names have risen to the occasion, others have let the club down this season.

Helsley, Gallegos, and Cabrera along with new arms like Andre Pallante and Zack Thompson have been bright spots for the club. Manage Oli Marmol can rely on these arms to in big spots to get outs, as well as carry the team when they need some innings. The issue that has begun to arise is lack of depth in the middle innings, something that Marmol has begun to vocalize to media.

Players like Wittgren, McFarland, and VerHagen have not gotten the job done when given the opportunities, and the club seems hesitant to rely on Packy Naughton, Johan Ovideo, and Kodi Whitley in those spots. If the Cardinals do wish to compete at a high level and win competitive ballgames, they need more than 4-5 reliable bullpen arms to get outs.

The return of Jordan Hicks is on the horizon for the club, which will provide another solid option. Even so, St. Louis needs to be looking at the trade market to acquire a bullpen arm or two in order to make a postseason run and also be able to withstand any unforeseen injuries to their current arms. Here are five options the club should look at dealing for.