The Cardinals’ bullpen is staring at the front office this winter like a problem that can’t be ignored.
St. Louis didn’t just have a rough year out there in 2026.
The club finished with a 4.40 bullpen ERA, which ranked 20th, and it also tied for third in the league with 30 blown saves. That combination left the Cardinals with a relief corps that simply gave away too many games.
If they had even an average bullpen, there’s a real case they could’ve been in playoff position.
That makes this offseason a pretty clear assignment for Chaim Bloom: find help, and find it fast. Even if the Cardinals aren’t expected to contend in 2027, a stronger bullpen would still raise the team’s overall ceiling and add more trade deadline ammo down the line.
One name that makes sense is Jonathan Loaisiga, the former Yankees and Diamondbacks right-hander who is heading into free agency.
Loaisiga’s 2026 season with Arizona was one of the best of his career. He appeared in 67 games and posted a 2.42 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 13 walks across 67 innings.
He earned just $1.5 million last season, but that price tag is out the window now. A free-agent deal should land well above that.
Before his run with the Diamondbacks, Loaisiga spent the first eight seasons of his big league career with the Yankees. His final year in New York came in 2025, when he had a 4.25 ERA in 30 appearances. That season came after he missed all but three games of 2024, so some rust was built into the numbers.
His peak with the Yankees came in 2021, when he turned in a 2.17 ERA and a 69-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 70 2/3 innings. Injuries have interrupted his time in New York, but 2026 showed what he can still look like when he’s healthy and rolling.
Over nine big league seasons, Loaisiga has a career 3.30 ERA, and he’s also brought his stuff into October with 13 postseason appearances. That profile fits what the Cardinals need: a reliever who can help right away and still carry value later if the club decides to move him at the deadline.
If St. Louis wants to clean up the bullpen mess from 2026, Loaisiga should be near the top of the list when free agency opens. A one- or two-year deal would make plenty of sense.
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There is at least some clarity at the top, with Torey Lovullo back on a two-year deal and general manager Mike Hazen already under contract through 2028. The more immediate question is how Arizona will rework the staff around them, and the pitching department appears to be where the first change is coming into focus as the organization resets for another run. [Read more 🡒]
Ketel Marte's Dip Leaves The Diamondbacks Facing A Bigger Worry
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There is still a path back to something closer to his usual impact if Marte sharpens his approach against certain pitch types and gets his body right again. But the comparison cases around players his age are not especially comforting, and the Diamondbacks have every reason to keep watching closely as the season moves along, because the line between a rebound and a continued slide may be thinner than it first looks. [Read more 🡒]