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Bullpen Options in Free Agency for the St Louis Cardinals Bullpen Quandary

By George Bowles Nov 11, 2026 | 8:07 AM

I have written a couple of articles regarding the bad bullpen of 2026, one focused on how good bullpens really do have a lot of correlation to winning teams, and the other about how the 2026 bullpen was one of the worst 21st century Cardinals bullpens. Now I would like to look at some options in free agency that St Louis could possibly go after in order to bolster the bad bullpen.

Aware that it is quite possible that the Cardinals will do absolutely nothing this offseason when it comes to free agency, I still think they should spend a little bit to stabilize the bullpen issue. The Cardinals rarely let their bullpen stink for long, so maybe they’ll actually sign a guy or two. There are many options on the market this offseason when it comes to relievers! If a reliever seems just really bad and not an option, I won’t mention them. I will however mention good options we probably won’t afford.

  • Jason Adam: part of the amazing Padres bullpen, he is now available via free agency. He is a right handed FIP beater that had a 2.26 ERA and 3.77 xERA last season. The ugly FIPs make him look like replacement level fodder, but maybe there’s something there for the Cardinals. He might not be too expensive. While he’s always been an overperformer on FIP, there may be some concern about his 2026 season, as his FIP rates went even higher than usual. Still, his ERA works for me, and the xERA isn’t alarming. He is pretty old, however! Might be a risky signing. probably about $10 mil
  • Tyler Alexander: the 32 year old lefty free agent from the Texas Rangers had a 3.33 xERA and 3.10 FIP in 2026. Seems like a good pickup to me! I’m unfamiliar with the player, but he seems like an option for the Cardinals. probably a $2 to $3 million one year deal
  • David Bednar: 32 year old right handed pitcher will probably not be available to us, but it sure would be nice to have him with his career 3.03 ERA and 2.96 FIP. he probably gonna get paid
  • Brock Burke: a 30 year old left handed pither from the Angels excellent bullpen posted a 2.30 ERA, 3.65 xERA, and 3.76 FIP. His career stats aren’t bad either. I definitely would not be opposed to this signing, except he walked too many batters in 2026. A career 3.14 BB/9 is good enough for me though. probably will get a multi year deal averaging around $4 million a year
  • Andrew Chafin: the 36 year old lefty looks even more like Kenny Powers than Ryne Stanek did, and Chafin had much better run rates of 2.41 ERA and 3.46 FIP. However, he did walk more batters than Stanek did in 2026, and the past few years he’s been ballooning his career walk rate. I think I’d pass on Chafin.
  • Taylor Clarke: the 33 year old righty seems like he wouldn’t be too expensive, but his rate stats are kind of all over the place in 2026 with a 2.96 ERA, 4.41 xERA, 3.85 FIP, and 4.28 xFIP. His career stats are not very good, so I think I’d pass, but maybe there’s something there, too. Hard to say. $3 to $4 million one year
  • Dietrich Enns: the 35 year old lefty has pitched in Korea for a significant part of his career, and was signed by Baltimore in 2026 where he had a major walk issue. He might be worth a look at though, with career rate stats of 3.86 ERA, 3.37 xERA, 3.57 FIP, and 4.14 xFIP. probably dirt cheap
  • Kevin Ginkel: 32-year-old righty with a 4.12 ERA in 2026 might be available for a good deal, which I would accept given his career 3.59 xERA and 3.47 FIP. multi-year averaging $6 million, pass if not a good deal
  • Brusdar Graterol: did a double take at that name! Sign this man just for that name, what what. That’s peculiar even for a baseball name! He’s only 28, throws right handed, and possesses a career 2.78 ERA, 3.06 xERA, 3.20 FIP, a 3.58 xFIP, and a 1.98 BB/9! Sign him, Bloom. probably dirt cheap
  • Raisel Iglesias: 32 year old right handed reliever with a career 2.87 ERA, 3.12 xERA, 3.20 FIP, and 3.34 xFIP. Do it, Chaim! Too costly, however. Just kidding, Bloom!
  • Pierce Johnson: a 35 year old righty coming from Atlanta with a declined mutual option is coming off a down season, but his career stats are 3.90 ERA, 3.85 xERA, 3.85 FIP, and 3.93 xFIP. Not bad. But maybe nothing to mess with unless he’s dirt cheap. Pass. could be gotten for a one year deal for $4 million or less, but probably a little overpriced
  • Jakob Junis: another mid 30s pitcher with a declined option, Junis is a good example of a bullpen guy you probably can’t guess about how good they’ll be next season. Jakob may have figured something out though, his rate stats have been good over the last few years, ignoring his xERA. RHP probably 1 year around $3.5 million
  • Tyler Kinley: 35 year old righty with rate stats all over the place in his career, the definition of bullpen volatility. Not sure if they’ll see something with him, but I think I’d pass because the walk rate is definitely a concern. probably too costly
  • Andrew Kittredge: Kitt is still a good reliever at age 36. The righty now is at 3.44 ERA, 3.66 xERA, 3.74 FIP, and 3.52 xFIP over the course of his career, and he was still good last year. He will probably get paid more than he’s actually worth, but if the price is right he would be a lot of fun to bring back. probably affordable but tough to say
  • Jonathan Loáisiga: a 32 year old right handed reliever with a career 3.30 ERA, 3.31 xERA, 3.65 FIP, and 3.71 xFIP. Seems like a no-brainer if the price is right! most likely way too expensive
  • A.J. Minter: another lefty! Minter will surely be seeking a few years, but he’d probably be worth it with a career 3.15 ERA, 3.22 xERA, 3.04 FIP, and 3.55 xFIP! Somehow he keeps those babips against low. too expensive in all likelihood
  • Adrian Morejon: the 27 year old left handed pitcher will be a tough sign for any team with a 2.33 xERA and 2.37 FIP in 2026, and a career 3.26 ERA. absolutely no way
  • Steven Okert: 35 year old LHP who is coming off a career should confuse teams somewhat, but his career 3.41 ERA is no joke, and a career 3.83 FIP ain’t bad. Wouldn’t be bad pickup if he’s not too pricey. more than likely will be a multi year deal out of the Dewitt’s price point
  • Emilio Pagan: the 35 year old RHP is a pretty damn good pitcher with a career 3.38 xERA! wants multiple years around $10 million a year, hard pass
  • Evan Phillips: a 32 year old RHP with a career 3.37 ERA and 3.40 FIP will not be an easy sign. $9 million
  • A.J. Puk: a 31 year old LHP with a 3.38 ERA and 4.51 FIP in 2026, and a career 3.15 xERA would be nice! probably dirt cheap
  • JoJo Romero: still just 30 years old, the lefty might just come back to the birds and possesses a career 3.51 ERA and 3.86 FIP. JoJo has always been a FIP beater but he also outperforms his xERA consistently. Escape artist. Last season, he left over 80% of runners on base. mlbtraderumors projects a 2 year $13 million contract but maybe he will be a little less pricey
  • Joe Ross: the 32 year old righty has a career 3.58 ERA and 3.75 FIP. probably an affordable million-dollar contract
  • Ryan Thompson: the 34 year old righty has an incredibly consistent set of career stats: 3.67 ERA, 3.61 xERA, 3.64 FIP, and 3.76 xFIP. His year to year stats fluctuate quite a lot though! Not sure. His peak seasons are really good though. not cheap, not expensive, reliable
  • Alex Vesia: a 30 year old lefty with excellent stats: 2.87 ERA, 3 xERA, 3.5 FIP, and 3.95 xFIP. He would be fine at Busch III! He will probably get a pretty damn good contract, though. way too expensive
  • Ryan Yarbrough: the 34 year old lefty had a really good 2026 with a 3.69 ERA and 3.45 FIP. His career rate stats are all over 4.0 however. Seems too risky, unless he ends up signing for a good deal to try and duplicate his 2026. LHP probably could be had for around $3 million

There it is, an extensive or is that exhaustive rundown of possible bullpen options for the Cardinals. I would hope they could afford at least one! That bullpen could use some help, even if it’s just a little. The market has a ton of good lefties and a variety of good right handed pitchers.

While I understand the Cardinals are “hurting” financially and times is dangerous, I believe the 26 pitchers listed above could and would help the team at least somewhat. Cardinals fans at least deserve a decent bullpen if they are expected to tune in to every game and/or show up to buy tickets, merch, and overpriced food and drink. If they have a bad bullpen again, people will be headed for the exits early, and viewership will be down.

Considering the tight bank of the current incarnation of the Dewitts, and the happy farm developer Chaim Bloom, I would suggest they sign one off this shortlist just to keep the fans happy (ish):

  • Tyler Alexander (LHP)
  • Taylor Clarke (RHP)
  • Jakob Junis (RHP)
  • Andrew Kittredge (RHP)
  • JoJo Romero (LHP)
  • Joe Ross (RHP)
  • Ryan Yarbrough (LHP)

Which one of those 7 would you sign?

I would also suggest the Cardinals sign a bargain-bin gamble relief pitcher from the following:

  • Dietrich Enns (LHP)
  • Brusdar Graterol (RHP)
  • A.J. Puk (LHP)

I think if they unexpectedly wanted to sign a long-term reliever contract, Ryan Thompson wouldn’t totally baffle me on a three-year deal. But you wouldn’t really know what to expect year to year. Would only do it if they think they know why he’s been consistently inconsistent (*or is that the other way around?).

As you can see, if you wanted to bring back an old but really good bullpen arm, Kittredge is not a bad plan. Nor is Romero. But you probably can’t have both. The benefit of going back to Kitt is that there are a lot of left-handed options this offseason. Romero is younger and a more worthy investment, though, and there are plenty of righties to choose from. Romero + Graterol could be a heck of a deal!

2000 Music

In the year, 2000, in the year, TWO THOUSANDDDD

If you are looking to revisit Y2K, you’re in the right place! I have a lot of really cool albums for you to listen to. I will be sharing them over the coming weeks. To start out, here are some of my top rated bigger name picks:

The year 2000 has so many really really good albums that I’m going to review Y2K in many installments! I see no other way! And maybe less albums will be easier to digest if you want to keep up. Check ‘em out, and thanks for reading! Let me know if my bullpen suggestions make sense.
Bob and Tom
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