Cardinals parted with longtime reliever for the cheapest possible reason
The St. Louis Cardinals parted ways with Giovanny Gallegos, a member of the bullpen for the last seven years, in an embarrassing cost-cutting measure.
Gallegos practically begged to stay in St. Louis on Saturday night but the Cardinals still sent him packing on Sunday. If it had been because of his objectively bad performances of late, it would have made plenty of sense. However, John Denton of MLB.com shed more light on the decision-making process and it's not encouraging.
Denton tweeted that Gallegos was DFA'd "in hopes of saving salary they can put towards a player nabbed via a trade."
When Giovanny Gallegos was DFA’ed — a move the #STLCards decided Sat night — it was done in hopes of saving salary they can put toward a player nabbed via a trade, per a source.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) July 28, 2024
Gallegos was making $5.5 M in 2024. If he is claimed, STL plans to put that money toward a trade add.
That means the Cardinals are penny pinching with their trade pursuits, needing part of Gallegos' salary of $5.5 million to help fund a move. And they only get that if they work out a trade or another team picks him up. There's no guarantee that happens.
(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)
Cardinals trade plans hinging on Giovanny Gallegos' salary is embarrassing
Gallegos was once one of the most reliable arms in the Cardinals' bullpen. However, he's steadily declined in his early 30s with the 2024 season producing his worst results by far. He has a 6.53 ERA in 21 appearances.
With those struggles, St. Louis is well within their rights to ignore sentimentality and give up on Gallegos on performance alone. It's the monetary aspect that should give Cardinals fans pause.
Despite being one of the biggest brands in the sport with some of the best attendance and fan engagement, the Cardinals have the 12th-highest payroll in MLB. They aren't a team that's currently breaking the bank. The hurdle doesn't seem to be available funds. It's willingness to spend at all. So the fact that trades are apparently hinging on a couple million from a DFA is worrisome to say the least.
Fans want to see Cardinals ownership to more aggressively invest in the team. Very few signs point to them actually doing that. Instead, it's the opposite.
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