The St. Louis Cardinals started this season with a lot of talk about trying to compete in a winnable NL Central, even if everyone else was pleading with them to finally start the rebuild (well, we thought, until the Chicago Cubs decided to drop the clutch on everybody). As May approaches, however, things aren’t going so smoothly. St. Louis, which lost badly to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, is now 14-18 and only the Pittsburgh Pirates have kept them out of the division abyss.
Possibly the most significant offender for that sluggish start? The bullpen, which has a 4.69 ERA and is ranked 24th in MLB, is one of Oli Marmol’s least dependable alternatives outside of Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton. It is therefore not surprising that the Cardinals made a trade involving a good bullpen prospect, as a postseason berth is already slipping away.
I’m sorry, but you mean that St. Louis was the one who sent Triple-A righty Ryan Loutos to the Los Angeles Dodgers for nothing more than financial gain, sacrificing a good bullpen prospect in the process?
Earlier this week, Ryan Loutos, a reliever and WashU alumnus, was cut from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster to make place for Jose Barrero, an infielder.
Oh. Oh, no.
Of course, this has an explanation. Earlier this week, St. Louis sent someone else down to make room for infielder Jose Barrero, who was elevated to the Major League roster. Loutos was assigned when John Mozeliak declared that someone would be Loutos, but on Thursday, L.A. grabbed him up. Instead of losing him for nothing, the Cardinals were at least able to make some money.
However, the reasoning for this decision doesn’t help a club that still appears to be lacking direction.
Cardinals aren’t in a position to let relievers walk out the door
Loutos, a 26-year-old who has only pitched three big-league innings, is hardly a lock. However, he has already performed effectively at Triple-A Memphis, recording a 3.38 ERA in eight innings pitched. You would think that a player like that could be worth a look to see if he can assist, especially considering the tire fire that makes up the majority of the St. Louis bullpen.
But evidently, you would be mistaken. Given how successful L.A. has been in spotting and nurturing talent under Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ eagerness to sign Loutos should be alarming to the Cardinals front office. Los Angeles needed more pitching depth, and this profile caught their attention enough for them to skip the line and sign him.
But for Mozeliak, what works for baseball’s top organization is insufficient. Louton certainly seems worth a try if the Cardinals are serious about attempting to be as competitive as possible in 2025, or even if they are just hoping to find a trade chip they can flip at the deadline. However, Mozeliak can’t seem to stay out of his team’s way and is unsure of what he wants from his final season.
