The Cardinals don’t have much room for error in the bullpen right now, and that makes the latest move out of Pittsburgh worth watching.
St. Louis already has an All-Star closer in Riley O'Brien, but the relief corps around him has been shaky. JoJo Romero, the club’s best left-handed option, is currently out with appendicitis, which only narrows Oli Marmol’s choices in the late innings.
That’s the backdrop as the Pirates handed the Cardinals a possible opening by designating Dennis Santana for assignment after acquiring Ron Marinaccio. For a St. Louis team that is expected to stay restrained at the trade deadline, Santana suddenly looks like the kind of arm that could slip through a loophole rather than cost real prospect capital.
Santana’s 2026 numbers are rough. He owns a 6.05 ERA and 5.48 FIP, and the underlying issues are easy to spot: his command has slipped, he’s giving up more hard contact, and he’s been one of the league’s least effective ground-ball pitchers. On paper, that’s not the profile of an instant fix.
But the appeal is in what he was before this season. Just a year ago, Santana saved 16 games and posted a 2.18 ERA while stepping into a high-leverage role after the trade of David Bednar. From 2024-25, he produced 2.4 fWAR, a total that would have ranked second on the Cardinals over that stretch behind only Ryan Helsley.
There’s also the financial angle. Santana is a free agent after the season, and he’s making $3.5 million this year, with more than $2 million already paid by Pittsburgh. That makes him a low-risk claim if he reaches waivers, or a cheap free-agent pickup if he clears.
For a Cardinals front office that has already made clear it won’t chase rentals or expensive veterans before Aug. 3, Santana fits the kind of move that makes sense: a buy-low shot on a reliever with recent leverage experience and enough upside to matter if he gets back on track.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Deadline Decision That Could Split The Fanbase
The Cardinals have spent the past two years rebuilding the kind of prospect depth that changes the way a front office can think at the deadline. Since Chaim Bloom took over before the 2026 season, St. Louis has leaned hard into trading established big leaguers for younger talent, and the result is a farm system that now sits among the best in baseball, with Rainiel Rodriguez, Liam Doyle and Joshua Bez headlining the group. For a fan base used to expecting the Cardinals to buy at the right moment, the new reality is a little different, and maybe a little more complicated.
Thats why the next move matters so much. The organization has already shown it is willing to move recognizable names in the right deal, but the current crop of prospects gives it a different kind of leverage, and a different kind of temptation. The question now is whether St. Louis stays patient and protects the premium talent it has built up, or decides the moment is big enough to push chips in for a star with years of control. [Read more 🡒]
Former Brewers Reliever Already Resurfaced With An NL Central Team
Peter Strzelecki did not stay on the open market long after leaving Milwaukee, and the Cardinals moved quickly to bring the right-hander into the fold on a minor league deal. It is the sort of low-risk bullpen add teams make this time of year, especially when they are looking for experienced arms who already know how to navigate a big league season.
Strzeleckis path has been a winding one since 2022, when he began piling up major league appearances with Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cleveland, while also spending time at Triple-A with multiple organizations. For the Cardinals, the appeal is straightforward: add another arm to the system, keep the depth chart flexible and see whether a familiar name can give the relief group another option down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]