Jul 13, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Justin Bruihl (58) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Cardinals Next Steps After Acquiring Lefty Justin Bruihl

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 4:23 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't made any massive, nine-figure additions to the organization, but they are having a good offseason nonetheless.

We'll have to wait until the games start being played to truly judge how the club is doing, but St. Louis is operating at a high level under Chaim Bloom in his first offseason leading the organization as the president of baseball operations. Bloom has completed two different trades with the Boston Red Sox involving guys with no-trade clauses (Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras), signed a high-upside starting pitcher (Dustin May), and has now added a left-handed reliever via trade who can help the team in 2026, especially if JoJo Romero is traded (Justin Bruihl).

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The Cardinals announced the Bruihl trade on Tuesday afternoon with the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations.

We have acquired LHP Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations.

Welcome to St. Louis, Justin! pic.twitter.com/whbyH2cdgZ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 6, 2026

It's been a lowkey, but very productive offseason for the Cardinals so far and there's a lot of time left to get more deals done.

The Cardinals shouldn't be done yet

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Here's what the club should do next.

Trade JoJo Romero, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Arenado
Relievers are volatile and Romero just had the best season of his career by far. He had a 2.07 ERA in 65 appearances for the Cardinals. Before the 2025 season, his best ERA was 3.36 (2024). He made 65 outings each over the last two seasons. Before that, his highest number of outings in a season was 27. Now, the Cardinals have another lefty in the mix. Flip Romero, even if he is in a package with either Donovan or Arenado.

At this point, Donovan and Arenado have been spoken about so much. If you have been following along with St. Louis, you know where they stand. Donovan is a popular trade candidate and has been linked to teams like the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and the Red Sox. Arenado has had a slow market, like last offseason.

Sign another reliever
There are guys out there worth rolling the dice on. One example I pitched on Monday is flamethrower Michael Kopech. Go get another reliever who can help the team in the short term and hopefully be a trade chip at the deadline. With Romero on the block, maybe another lefty like Andrew Chafin?

Sign another veteran starting pitcher
Same concept as above. Go get one more starter with upside, maybe a Walker Buehler or Lucas Giolito type, and hope they do well and then try to trade them at the deadline. The Cardinals are going to take some time to build back up to contention. Even if it costs short-term cash, get pieces that could eventually bring back prospects and then let the kids play.

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

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