ST. LOUIS – In the beginning stages of a rebuilding process that could be trying at times as young players grow and develop at the Major League level, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom knows one thing that could undermine those efforts: a shaky bullpen that gives games away late.
Historically, nothing breaks the will of a young and hungry team faster than stringing together seven or eight innings of solid baseball in every phase, only to see its hard work disappear in a ninth-inning collapse. So while the Cardinals figure to be one of MLB’s youngest teams in terms of position players and starting pitchers, Bloom has gone to great lengths to make sure the club has some well-tested seasoning at the back of its bullpen.
Last week alone, the Cardinals reached a contract agreement with World Series winner and nine-year veteran reliever Ryne Stanek, per sources, and traded for playoff-tested left-hander Justin Bruihl. Stanek, who will make $3.5 million for 2026, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, is expected to take his physical on Monday to finalize his pact.
Earlier in the offseason, St. Louis acquired right-handers Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, pitchers with MLB experience who can either start or provide long relief.
Bloom, who is in his first year as the Cardinals' front office leader after taking over in early October, knows that having proven pitchers in the bullpen is essential, regardless of whether that club is a World Series contender or one starting anew.
“To me, it is not so much about losing at the end – although you certainly don’t want that; for me, it’s about having players who can show the younger guys the ropes,” Bloom said of the importance of having veteran leadership in the bullpen. "We’ve had that the last couple of years – not just with on-field results, but also good mentorships with guys like Phil [Maton] and [Andrew Kittredge in 2024].
“I’ve seen the value in that in my other stops as well. It’s hard to always know where it is going to come from, but obviously it’s hard for it to come from guys who don’t have enough experience under their belts.”
Bloom is still working to rebuild a bullpen that traded star closer Ryan Helsley, swingman Steven Matz and Maton last July when it became apparent that the club would miss the playoffs for a third straight season. The Cardinals also didn’t tender a contract to veteran left-hander John King, which created another void to fill in the bullpen.
Bloom has been open to the fact that the Cardinals have received widespread trade interest in 29-year-old reliever JoJo Romero, who has evolved into one of the game’s most effective short-burst left-handers over the past two years. Romero, who agreed to a $4.26 million salary for 2026 on Thursday to avoid arbitration, has 54 holds over the past two seasons. In '25, he posted a stellar 2.07 ERA over 65 appearances, with eight saves in nine chances and 24 holds. His ground ball rate (57.1%) ranked in MLB’s 95th percentile, and his hard-hit rate (35.1%) was in MLB’s 88th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
Replacing Romero won’t be easy if the Cardinals deal him, but some of that high-leverage workload could fall onto the shoulders of the 6-foot-4 Stanek. In his career, the hard-throwing right-hander has pitched for the Rays, Marlins, Astros, Mariners and Mets, winning a World Series with Houston in 2022.
Stanek brings the coveted element of swing-and-miss stuff to the Cardinals' bullpen. The 34-year-old's fastball ranked in MLB’s 96th percentile in average velocity (98.5 mph) in 2025, per Baseball Savant. That pitch allowed him to register a 27.8% whiff rate (71st percentile) and a 30% chase rate (72nd percentile).
Stanek leaned heavily on his best pitch, throwing fastballs some 57% of the time in 2025. He recorded 32 of his 58 strikeouts on at-bats that ended with his fastball. Foes hit .268 off that pitch as opposed to .184 against his slider, .333 vs. his splitter and .250 against his sweeper.
The Cardinals would be delighted if Stanek can give them anything close to what they got from Kittredge in 2024 (a 2.80 ERA with 37 holds and one save in 74 appearances) and Maton in '25 (a 2.35 ERA with 20 holds and two saves in 40 games).
“Adding experienced guys back there [in the bullpen] is definitely something on our minds,” Bloom added. “That’s not just with the guys we already have, but as we look to round out the bullpen throughout the winter.”