Could John Mozeliak bring back this former Cardinal to strengthen their bullpen?

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen has been shaky as of late. While their relief core carried them for much of the first half, since the All-Star Break, the Cardinals' bullpen ranks 22nd in all of baseball with a 4.85 ERA. While the FIP indicates better results, it has still been a rough stretch for this group, as fans got very used to locking down games.

While I do believe that is cause for concern, I would not say it is time to panic quite yet. Ryan Fernandez has been awful so far while Ryan Helsley, Chris Roycroft, Matthew Liberatore, and John King have ERAs north of 4.00, but all of those relievers have thrown 8.2 innings or less during that stretch. It's a small sample size in comparison to their season numbers. Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero have actually been really good since the break ended.

Still, opportunities for reinforcements need to be considered. Shawn Armstrong was acquired in the Dylan Carlson trade at the deadline, but he has been mostly ineffective in his six innings so far. Riley O'Brien is officially back from the injured list but is in Memphis for the moment, so maybe they could try him out for a stretch?

There is one name that just became available on the free agent market that could be of interest to St. Louis, and he used to be a highly effective reliever for the Cardinals early in his career.

Could Matt Bowman be a helpful addition to the Cardinals's bullpen?

Right-hander Matt Bowman just exercised an opt-out in his contract with the Minnesota Twins according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Bowman posted a 1.37 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19.2 innings for the Twins' Triple-A club prior to opting out, so things seem to be going well for him as of late. He has thrown 15 big league innings this year for the Twins, Mariners, and Diamondbacks, but has mustered just a 5.40 ERA in those short stints.

Cardinals fans likely remember Bowman from his extremely effective 2016 season, where the right-hander threw 67.2 innings, posting a 3.46 ERA and becoming the go-to guy whenever the Cardinals needed a ground ball. Bowman has been mostly ineffective in his big league career since then, even going three seasons without appearing in the Majors from 2020-2022.

Personally, I don't see a match here for St. Louis. There is not much about Bowman's recent performances that suggest it would go all that well in St. Louis, and it would also require them to make another move on their 40-man roster, and I am not sure Bowman is worth that at this moment. It's fun to think about bringing someone like Bowman back, but I'd rather see what O'Brien can provide for them down the stretch. Honestly, it may even be interesting to call upon a Gordon Graceffo or Michael McGreevy if needed.