The Cardinals’ offseason got a little clearer on Tuesday, and not in a way that changes the shape of their bullpen problem. Jared Shuster, the left-hander St. Louis brought in on a minor league deal last offseason, officially elected free agency from the organization, according to the official MiLB transaction log.
Shuster arrived with a chance to be a low-cost, veteran option for the Cardinals. He had 62 big league appearances across three seasons when he signed, and his 2025 numbers with the Chicago White Sox were misleading on the surface.
He finished with an 8.04 ERA in 12 outings, but he allowed one or fewer runs in 10 of those appearances. That made him look like the kind of bargain St.
Louis could turn into useful bullpen depth.
It never quite happened. Shuster made only five major league appearances for the Cardinals and posted a 9.00 ERA.
He also logged 37 games for Triple-A Memphis, where he put up a 5.65 ERA across 63 2/3 innings. He spent almost the entire 2026 season in the organization, but the constant movement around the roster showed how little he was able to lock down a role.
He was designated for assignment multiple times and never pitched for another club.
In the end, the Cardinals didn’t get burned by the move. A minor league deal is a low-risk bet, and this one simply didn’t pay off.
Shuster got his chances, both in St. Louis and at Memphis, but he never did enough to secure a longer look.
That leaves the Cardinals where they started: with a bullpen that still needs help. The relief corps is the biggest question mark and weakness heading into the offseason, and Shuster’s departure doesn’t really alter that reality.
St. Louis needs multiple arms, right-handed and left-handed alike, and the hope was that Shuster could become part of the left-handed solution.
He wasn’t.
So the search continues. A big spending spree would be a surprise, and more minor league signings like this past one wouldn’t be shocking at all. The Cardinals will be looking for value again this winter, hoping one of those cheap flyers turns into something useful.
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Cardinals Bullpen Need Just Got More Frustrating This Offseason
The Cardinals offseason bullpen picture got a little murkier when Jared Shuster elected free agency, a move confirmed in the official MiLB transaction log. Shuster had signed a minor league deal with St. Louis before the 2026 season and spent the year bouncing between brief major league work and Triple-A, making him part of the clubs broader relief depth rather than a guaranteed piece.
For a team already treating the bullpen as a major area to upgrade, losing another arm from the organizational mix only adds to the list of decisions ahead. St. Louis still has time to sort through options, but every departure narrows the pool a bit more and leaves the front office with one more vacancy to address before spring training chatter really starts to pick up. [Read more 🡒]
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