The only thing John Mozeliak got right for Cardinals this winter is a huge plus
By Curt Bishop
The St. Louis Cardinals were busy over the winter and went straight to work to fix a broken-down pitching staff that cost them a chance at contention in 2023 and sunk them to last place in the NL Central. While some of the moves they made rose some eyebrows, there is one thing that has really improved in 2024.
For all of the mistakes made by John Mozeliak over the years, his work to fix the bullpen deserves a ton of credit. In January, the Cardinals traded outfielder Richie Palacios to the Tampa Bay Rays and received right-hander Andrew Kittredge in return. Kittredge was a bit of a gamble after two injury-plagued seasons, but the Cardinals saw great potential in the 2021 AL All-Star.
The Cardinals' belief in Kittredge has been rewarded, as the 34-year-old owns an ERA of 0.75 in 13 appearances. In addition, both JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley have performed quite well, and have formed one of the best back-end bullpen trios in all of baseball.
Mozeliak's bullpen moves have done wonders for Cardinals
The back end of the bullpen has been the absolute strength of the Cardinals to start the season. Despite their 13-15 record, they have been able to rely on Romero, Kittredge, and Helsley to close out games.
Things should only get better in the bullpen as the season goes on, as the Cardinals will soon be getting both Riley O'Brien and the newly signed Keynan Middleton back from the injured list. From there, the Cardinals' bullpen will only grow stronger.
Even other under-the-radar pickups such as Ryan Fernandez have performed well for the Cardinals. Fernandez gave St. Louis two scoreless innings on Sunday against the New York Mets.
But it's been Romero, Kittredge, and Helsley who have kept the Cardinals afloat in a tight race for the NL Central crown so far. Mozeliak certainly raised some eyebrows when he signed Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to bolster the rotation rather than wait for somebody like Jordan Montgomery, but his work to improve the bullpen has done wonders for the Cardinals, who are trying to bounce back from a 71-91 finish a year ago.
When Middleton returns, the Cardinals will have even more options in the back end of their bullpen. He and Kittredge both bring swing and miss potential to a pitching staff that desperately needed it.
The only thing missing for St. Louis right now is their offense.