7 former Cardinals the team can trade for at the deadline

Relievers John Brebbia and Luis Garcia

Either one of these relievers would be a fine acquisition this deadline. Neither is pitching the lights out in relief, but the Cardinals don't exactly need a brute stopper in the bullpen; they have Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge for that.

John Brebbia is currently with the Chicago White Sox, so he'll definitely be available. Brebbia, 34, has a 5.72 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.200 WHIP, and he's striking out an impressive 11 batters per nine innings; he's thrown 28.1 innings in 32 games so far. The discrepancy between Brebbia's ERA and FIP indicates that he's due for some positive regression, however.

Brebbia has found plenty of success against left-handed batters. They're hitting just .212/.255/.462 against him, and he's struck out 18 of the 55 lefty hitters he's faced. Brebbia has pitched primarily in low-leverage outings, so he wouldn't alter the bullpen dramatically. His addition would simply deepen a relief corps that is desperate for reinforcements.

The same goes for Luis Garcia of the Los Angeles Angels, who played for the Cardinals in 2021. Garcia, now 37, has pitched 33 innings across 35 games this year for the lowly Angels. In that time, he has a 4.64 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.303 WHIP, and he's striking out nearly 10 batters every 9 innings while limiting hits and home runs.

Garcia is also due for some positive change in his ERA due to his lower FIP; he's been able to limit righties to a .233/.282/.301 slash line. Garcia has seen most of his time in low-leverage situations as well, so he won't be a game-changer out of the bullpen. He would be a depth piece in the middle of games, a bridge player of sorts.

Neither of these relievers would require much in exchange, so the Cardinals can send over a minor league player as repayment.