So let's talk about the bullpen

The Cardinals' reshaping of the relief corps may be done, which means it's time to take stock and project how things might go in 2024

Image: DALL-E

While the struggles of the rotation last season sucked up most of the available bandwidth and angst, the Cardinals’ 2023 bullpen was also an unfortunate point of distinction.

To wit, the St. Louis relief corps this past season ranked 23rd in MLB in ERA, 18th in FIP (What’s this?), 24th in K% (strikeouts as a percentage of batters faced), and 18th in BB% (walks as a percentage of batters faced). In matters related, the Cards’ pen last season was 25th in save percentage and 29th in total shutdowns (What’s this?). In other words, they did none of the important things particularly well. If the Cardinals are to return to contention in 2024, then they’ll plainly need better results from the pen.

In the service of that aim, the club has achieved churn, if not at the conspicuous level many fans would prefer. New to bullpen, or at least the bullpen mix, are right-handers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Roberston,  and Riley O’Brien – all acquired via trade – and Rule 5 selection Ryan Fernandez. Of those, Kittredge has the surest role, and as a Rule 5er Fernandez must be kept on the active roster barring injury or his rights revert to Boston. Further down the depth chart, recent indy-ball pick-up Joe Corbett is a name to remember, as is Benito Garcia, who was taken in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft and could theoretically be a depth option later in the season (he reached Double-A in 2023). Every external addition throws righty, which speaks to the Cardinals’ needs from the starboard side.

None of this qualifies as “big-game hunting,” which no doubt frustrates some fans. It’s an approach I get, though. Relievers by the nature of their role carry with them a great deal of native volatility, and the potential downside swells when you pay the going rates for marquee free agents who tend to be getting into their decline-phase ages (see: Hader, Josh). Also, given the past failures of the Mozeliak regime when it comes to signing notable free-agent relievers, a reluctance to indulge in that approach all over again is understandable. The exception for me is Jordan Hicks, who still has best-in-class stuff, leveled-up in a sustainable way last season thanks to some mid-stream changes, and who’s still just 27 years of age. As well, the comfort level should be higher because the Cardinals know more about him than any other organization does. All that said, Hicks figures to command a hefty contract as relievers go, and I doubt the will to pony up is there on the part of the DeWitts. Maybe something on the level of Phil Maton is still viable, but the guess here is that the Kittredge swap was the final bullpen flourish. This brings us to the matter of how this new arrangement figures to perform in 2024.