Cardinals reunion watch begins after Twins cut ties with 2 beloved relievers

As the St. Louis Cardinals continue to ride the never-ending roller coaster that is their bullpen this year, the Minnesota Twins just gifted them a chance at reuniting with two former fan favorite relievers in Matt Bowman and John Brebbia.

Bowman and Brebbia, both of whom were on minor league deals with the Twins, were able to opt out of their contracts today if the Twins did not add them to their 40-man roster. Minnesota opted not to do so, and both players decided to become free agents as a result.

Bowman, 34, made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2016 and pitched three seasons for them. He established himself as a groundball machine and put up 1.3 fWAR across 156 appearances for them. Brebbia, 35, made his debut with St. Louis in 2017 and also pitched in three seasons for them, appearing in 161 games and becoming a reliable arm for them. The Cardinals had interest in acquiring him at the 2024 trade deadline in the deal they made for Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham.

The pair represent a significant number of innings for the Cardinals in the late 2010s, putting up 324.1 innings of work combined. While it's been quite some time since either arm was with St. Louis, you can make the argument for either to be picked up by St. Louis

A reunion with Matt Bowman or John Brebbia could provide the Cardinals with needed bullpen depth

Adding either arm wouldn't be a flashy move, but it would fit the kind of transactions the Cardinals should be looking to make, given the state of the team. Dart throws with real purpose that could help enhance the team's chances of winning throughout the summer.

Bowman has not had much Major League success in recent years, but he was effective for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate this year, posting a 1.69 ERA in 21.1 innings of work, striking out 10.55 batters per nine innings, and a 54.5% ground ball rate. If the Cardinals think they can get him to be an effective reliever for them in St. Louis, it's worth a shot.

Brebbia has also struggled in his big league opportunities in recent years, but he has not found the same success that Bowman did in Triple-A. Brebbia posted a 6.20 ERA in 20.1 innings of work, striking out 11.51 batters per nine innings and walking 4.43 as well. Though if the Cardinals do see something in him still, it could be worth the flyer.

Signing either pitcher to a contract would be an extremely low-risk, potentially nice-reward move for St. Louis. Chaim Bloom has already found success this year in targeting an undervalued reliever in George Soriano, so I trust the front office's eye here.

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