3 internal options the Cardinals could use to close games in 2027

The St. Louis Cardinals enter the winter with what they hope to be long-term solutions at multiple spots across the diamond. For a rebuilding team, getting clarity on the future is priority number one, meaning short-term needs get put on the back burner while roster evaluations begin.

Because of the focus on the future, Chaim Bloom decided to allocate resources towards player development, and that left parts of the major league team barren. This left the bullpen virtually untouched outside of depth moves to bring in Justin Bruihl, George Soriano, and Ryne Stanek to put together a ragtag relief corps. The other spots in the pen were to be filled with internal options with varying degrees of major league experience and/or success.

Even with an ignored relief corps, Cardinals have internal closing options ready to prove themselves

Going into the 2026 season with the aforementioned names meant that manager Oliver Marmol did not have much in terms of options for the ninth inning role. This was not surprising or an accident, as the Cardinals were expected to finish well below .500 and a sturdy bullpen would be wasted for a team without postseason aspirations. However, the Cardinals surpassed those projections, and despite the overperformance, Bloom felt that it was still best for the long-term plan to keep the bullpen running on fumes.

This left the Cardinals with Riley O'Brien as their de facto closer, and while he was an All-Star and led the NL in saves last season, the leash for him as the ninth inning guy got pretty short near the end of the year. ROB paced the league in saves, but he also had the most blown saves in the NL, which goes to show how often the Cardinals were playing in games too close for comfort. O'Brien was finally able to notch a full season of health, but the 32-year-old may be better suited for a move out of the ninth inning in order to keep him as effective as possible, but also find long-term value among the Cardinals relief options.

If Bloom and Marmol decide to go this way, there are a few players who either showcased their ability to handle the ninth or are intriguing options to see what they can do in that role. The 2027 season will be an interesting one in St. Louis and it is tough to predict what may happen, but I see much of the same next year. Because of this, we probably will not see much reliever investment, so Bloom should try to figure out how to be cost-effective with his high-leverage roles.

1. Luis Gastelum

Of the three-plus options the Cardinals could go with in the ninth in 2027, Luis Gastelum is the clearest choice with the most buzz surrounding him. While Gastelum was abysmal after being first called up to the majors, he rebounded in such a way that should inspire confidence in the young arm. Over his first 10 innings, the righty struck out eight and walked four, while also giving up four homers to balloon his ERA over six. The next 26.2 innings were a different story.

The long-haired reliever found the zone, striking out 36 and walked just eight when the calendar switched to August through the end of the season. He also gave up just two homers and pitched well in the ninth inning in four games. Working against Gastelum is the experience, as the changeup specialist only has 22 career saves in four seasons, with 10 of them coming two years ago in Double-A.

2. George Soriano

Another option the Cardinals could turn to is a newcomer to last year's bullpen but one that has some ninth inning experience with rebuilding teams. Georgo Soriano was brought in early in the spring and immediately became a workhorse who had his number called too often thanks to the bullpen configuration. The righty was spectacular through his first 24 outings, giving up just 25 baserunners and notching two saves through May.

Soriano started to get hit a bit in the season's second half as he limped to a 5.68 ERA and poor command as he completed his busiest year on record. The righty tied with O'Brien in blown saves last season, but his durability through 70 games shows he can be counted on. If he can be used slightly less and in higher-leverage spots, I would not be surprised if his strikeout rate jumped up to 25% or higher.

3. Closer by Committee

The last option is something that nobody wants to see on a contender, but could be a viable option for the 2027 version of the Cardinals. A matchup-based closer usually creates more fan aggravation, as each games takes a different path than the one before. This strategy also keeps the bullpen in a question mark not just for the season, but on a game-by-game basis, potentially handcuffing Marmol even more.

Making up the committee could easily be either of the first two here, but also formerly reliable arms like Ryan Fernandez and Matt Svanson. Each of these two has shown flashes at times, but we hardly saw either of them in 2026 despite the haphazard pen. This group could also see names like the rehabbing Max Rajcic, Cade Winquest, or Hancel Rincon throw their hats in the ring for the role.

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