3 Ways Cardinals Could Instantly Repair the Leaky Bullpen

Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brycen Mautz (52) pitches in the six inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3 Ways Cardinals Could Instantly Repair the Leaky Bullpen

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jul 23, 2026 12:56 PM ET

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The St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen had a very good day on Wednesday.

Hunter Dobbins got the start and pitched six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels. After Dobbins came out, Luis Gastélum, George Soriano and Riley O'Brien got an inning each and all three were great. Gastélum, Soriano, and O'Brien combined to pitch three shutout innings and allowed just one total base hit. Plus, the trio combined to strike out five Angels batters.

It was a good night for the Cardinals' bullpen and St. Louis came out on top, 1-0, to snap a four-game losing streak. This performance put even more of a spotlight on how the bullpen has been struggling recently. Right now, the Cardinals have the 19th-ranked bullpen ERA in baseball at 4.21. The Cardinals have consistently been in that area all season to this point, for the most part.

Right now, the Cardinals are missing JoJo Romero, which doesn't help. Before Wednesday's win, the bullpen had taken a beating over the last few days. O'Brien allowed two earned runs in the loss on Monday against Los Angeles. On Sunday, Ryne Stanek, George Soriano, and Gordon Graceffo all allowed at least one run. Luis Gastelum allowed an unearned run. On Tuesday, the bullpen was alright, but Matthew Liberatore allowed five runs and the Cardinals couldn't dig themselves out of that hole.

The Cardinals Need To Bolster The Bullpen

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Cardinals' bullpen can pitch as it did on Wednesday, it will be just fine. But that hasn't been the case consistently lately. There are ways to improve it, though.

One route we've already made the case for is shifting Matthew Liberatore to the bullpen and keeping Dobbins in the starting rotation. In that case, the Cardinals would have another much-needed lefty out there with Romero on the shelf. Batters have batted .264 the first time through the order this season. In comparison, batters are hitting .358 the third time through the order.

That's one way to fix the bullpen, but not the only way. Dobbins should stick in the rotation — either as a six-man rotation or even sending Liberatore down to Triple-A. Another option to promote would be Brycen Mautz. He would be another much-needed left-handed option. Mautz has been lights-out in the rotation down in Triple-A with a 2.84 ERA in 18 appearances, including 16 starts. He has appeared in just one game in the big leagues and it came out of the bullpen.

A third option would be looking at the trade market and an old friend could be worth looking into. Andrew Kittredge has made 32 appearances for the Baltimore Orioles this season and has a 3.86 ERA. The Orioles are three games below .500, so it's at least realistic to believe that the club could look to flip pieces. A 3.86 ERA is solid, but not enough to command some sort of back-breaking return for a 36-year-old. If you could get someone like Kittredge for a lower-level prospect, that would be another way to take the bullpen to another level.

All in all, the Cardinals' bullpen needs some work. Whether that means moving Liberatore out there, promoting Mautz, trying to make a trade, or something else, there are options at the Cardinals' disposal.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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