Ex-Cardinals Hurler Now Free Agent After Disastrous Stretch

Another former member of the St. Louis Cardinals is available.

Former Cardinals reliever John Brebbia is one of the latest to hit the open market after being released. It was shared by MLB Trade Rumors' Darragh McDonald this weekend that Brebbia was released by the Detroit Tigers.

"The Tigers have released right-hander John Brebbia, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com," McDonald said. "That was the likely outcome after he was designated for assignment a few days ago. He’s now free to sign with any club.

"Brebbia, 35, signed with the Tigers in the offseason. The one-year deal guaranteed him $2.75MM in the form of a $2.25MM base salary and a $500K buyout on a $4MM club option for 2026. The Tigers clearly didn’t get the return they were hoping for on that investment. Brebbia missed about three weeks due to a right triceps strain. Around that, he tossed 18 2/3 innings with a 7.71 earned run average, 21.5 percent strikeout rate and 11.8 pcercent walk rate."

The 35-year-old pitched in 19 games with the Tigers this season and logged a 7.71 ERA.

He began his big league career with the Cardinals back in 2017. He spent the first three seasons of his career in St. Louis and logged a 3.14 ERA across 161 total appearances. Brebbia missed the 2020 season, though, and was non-tendered by the team.

Brebbia landed with the San Francisco Giants for three seasons before spending the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves. Now, he heads to the open market with a career 4.00 ERA in 373 appearnaces.