Kyle Leahy should be given a chance at the Cardinals' rotation after trade deadline

Kyle Leahy's appearance in Tuesday night's matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies was bittersweet for a variety of reasons.

Leahy, a native of Boulder, Colorado who attended Colorado Mesa for college, was returning home to pitch in this series. However, it wasn't necessarily a joyous return home.

Earlier on Tuesday, Leahy's grandmother Ruth passed away. In his postgame interview, Leahy shared this information about his grandmother's passing. The two would attend games at Coors Field when Leahy was a kid, and he partially has her to thank for igniting a passion for the sport.

“We had really good seats, right by the camera boxes at the end of the Rockies dugout,” Leahy recalled. “I liked watching [Troy Tulowitzki], obviously, and [Nolan] Arenado was good when I was in high school and into college. But I always remember Todd Helton coming off the field and tossing the ball into the stands, but he never threw it to me because I was too quiet."

Kyle Leahy has been a firefighter of sorts all year for the Cardinals' bullpen. He continued in that role on Tuesday evening.

After another awful start by Erick Fedde in which he was tagged for six runs in just three innings, Leahy was called upon in the fourth inning to hold the game where it was. Leahy did just that, going 3.2 innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and only one walk. He was able to lower his season ERA to just 2.95, and it was a career high in strikeouts for the right-handed reliever.

Manager Oliver Marmol was complimentary of the 28-year-old righty as well. "Leahy was impressive...His stuff was electric. Another seven punch-outs, man, he looked really good. A lot to be excited about there...You can throw him in the rotation at some point to see what he's capable of doing."

Kyle Leahy should replace Miles Mikolas down the stretch in the rotation for the St. Louis Cardinals.

That last bit of Marmol's quote intrigues me. Marmol has had to use a less-than-ideal rotation all year that has featured two veterans in Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas who have not fared well in a majority of their starts. Marmol's hand has been forced with these two starters due to contractual agreements, a lack of minor-league bullpen depth, and pressure from the front office. Therefore, he hasn't been able to use his ideal starting rotation throughout the year.

It's looking like Michael McGreevy is here to stay after a superb outing on Monday night. He could perhaps replace Erick Fedde when the next turn comes around. That just leaves Miles Mikolas to replace.

Since 2023, Mikolas has a 5.07 ERA while striking out only 6.3 batters per nine innings. He's taken the team out of games early in his starts due to a propensity to give up home runs and big hits. However, MIkolas has continually been given starts because he can log innings (though he hasn't even done that well recently) and because the club owes him millions of dollars still.

Replacing Mikolas in the rotation should be the obvious choice with Kyle Leahy down the stretch. If the Cardinals can't trade Mikolas, who has a no-trade clause and is still owed approximately $8 million for the rest of the year, they should shift him to the bullpen to clear up space for Leahy while the latter ramps up his pitch count over the final few weeks of the season.

Leahy was primarily a starting pitcher as a prospect for the Cardinals. He logged 72 starts in 151 games as a prospect with a 3.21 ERA as a starter in 2023. A return to the rotation wouldn't be unfamiliar with the former 17th-round draftee.

Putting Kyle Leahy in the rotation wouldn't guarantee the righty a spot as a starter next year, but it would allow him to throw his hat in the ring with other youngsters like Tekoah Roby, Quinn Mathews, and Tink Hence.

Leahy was one of Oli Marmol's most reliable relievers to start the year along with Phil Maton and Steven Matz. He hit a bit of a rough stretch during May and June, but he's ramped it back up in July with a 3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.48 ERA through 10.1 innings.

Leahy has thrown more than one inning 20 times this year. His peak was 3.2 innings yesterday where he threw 49 pitches. In those 20 outings, Kyle has allowed 10 runs for a 4.50 ERA. That's partially inflated due to a game against the Chicago White Sox in June where he allowed three runs in 1.2 innings. Take that game out of the calculus and he has a 3.26 ERA in games where he's pitched multiple innings.

It shouldn't be out of the question for Leahy to stretch to 60 pitches in five days, 75 pitches in 10 days, and so on. By the end of the year, he could be comfortably throwing 90 pitches in a game. Miles Mikolas, for as much pain as it gives me to say, could be his backup if a start goes haywire.

Mikolas in the bullpen may also allow the Lizard King to let loose a little more. Perhaps he could dial up his pitches a touch more than he has in the past. His fastball averaged 93.9 MPH on Sunday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the highest this year and a number comparable to his All-Star 2022 figures. That could become a regular occurrence if he's able to pitch in shorter bursts.

If the Cardinals are wanting to lean into the "runway" concept this year, putting Kyle Leahy in the rotation down the stretch instead of Miles Mikolas would be ideal. This may also make the team more competitive.