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.

Alex Colome

Pitching in Coors Field can be a nightmare for any pitcher. Calling the ballpark your home for a season is practically a death sentence to your career ERA. That is what makes Alex Colome’s start to 2022 so impressive.

In 26.1 innings for Colorado this season, Colome has an ERA of 2.39 with 15 SO and 3 saves for the team that is struggling to keep up with powerhouse division rivals like the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants. Since coming into the league in 2013, Colome has been one of the better and more consistent arms in all of baseball, sporting a career ERA of 3.07.

The one blip on his radar came in 2021, when he finished with a 4.15 ERA and went 17-24 in save opportunities for the abysmal Minnesota Twins. The 33 year old right hander has bounced back in a huge way for the Rockies, and could easily profile as a middle innings reliever for this Cardinal ballclub, or even push some of St. Louis’ current options into those roles.

Andrew Chafin

One of the rumored options that the Cardinals could pursue this last offseason, Andrew Chafin signed a two-year, $13 million deal with the Detroit Tigers to be their go to, left handed option.

Although the Tigers have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball, Chafin has proven to be a stabilizing option, with his ERA sitting at 3.44 in 18.1 innings of work.

For St. Louis, Genesis Cabrera is the only proven left handed option that is producing for the club. Left hander Zack Thompson could be their second option, but it would be wise to bring in another proven option for the club. Marmol has given T.J. McFarland plenty of opportunities to redeem himself, but it appears a lost cause at this point.

The Tigers will likely want to capitalize on any value that the left hander could bring and focus their eyes onto the 2023 season. The Cardinals are a great fit to take on the veteran left hander.

Mark Melancon

The St. Louis Cardinals have shown in recent years their desire to bring in buy low, veteran arms to fill needs in their pitching staff. Veteran right hander Mark Melancon could be their next diamond in the rough.

After leading Major League Baseball in saves in 2021, Melancon has struggled mightily as the closer for the Diamondbacks. Although he has 11 saves so far in 2022, his 5.79 ERA in 23.1 innings of work leaves a lot to be desired.

While adding an arm with these bad of numbers seems like a step in the wrong direction, a change of scenery for the veteran Melancon and role as a middle innings reliever on a contender may be the boost he needs to get back to his production from 2021.

Last season, the Cardinals found success in adding veteran arms like J.A. Happ, Jon Lester, and Wade LeBlanc, even when their current production showed little to indicate future success. If the Cardinals decided to go this route with Melancon, it could pay off major dividends, and come at a low cost.

A.J. Puk

Perhaps the most valuable reliever on this list, if the Cardinals wanted to go big with their bullpen piece, lefty A.J. Puk would be an excellent addition to the club.

Just 27 years old with plenty of team control, Puk stands at 6’7 and his production has been as equally intimidating as his stature. In 28 innings of work for the Oakland Athletics, his 1.93 ERA and 26 SO from the left side would be a welcomed addition to what the Cardinals bullpen currently has.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the Cardinals in acquiring his services would be the price tag that Oakland will place on him. They will be in no rush to move him since they still have plenty of control over him, and it is extremally difficult to find left handed relivers this elite. Oakland is in desperate need of prospects, so they will look to get top value for Puk if they were to move him.