One of the beautiful aspects of baseball is its unpredictability. Every year, players whom most fans are unfamiliar with break out and others fall flat. For the St. Louis Cardinals, who are embarking on a “youth movement” or “transition” or “retool” or whatever you want to call it, many fans saw their bullpen as a likely strong point that could potentially help the team make an unexpected push to contention in 2025. However, while the offense has been a major surprise for many, the relief corps have not lived up the standards that were expected of them.
The bullpen could be the Cardinals’ weakest link in 2025.
The Cardinals bullpen currently ranks 24th in the league in ERA, at 5.54, and it places dead last in strand rate, leaving only 51.2% of runners on base. Ryan Fernandez, the team’s Rule 5 pick in 2024, emerged as a linchpin in the bullpen last season, owning a 3.51 ERA in 66.1 innings. It’s been a different story thus far in 2025, as Fernandez has walked four batters in four innings and allowed six earned runs while striking out only one hitter. His strand rate sits at a ghastly 20%.
Outside of a few bright spots, the rest of the bullpen hasn’t fared much better. Left-hander John King has predictably crashed back to earth after a season that saw his FIP nearly a full run higher than his ERA, which often signifies that a pitcher benefited from good luck. In an admittedly tiny sample size of two innings in 2025, King has surrendered seven hits and three earned runs.
Closer Ryan Helsley, the Cardinal with the longest tenure, has made only one save this season. He struggled to find the strike zone and, when he did, allowed strong contact, which made his most recent performance on April 6 alarming. In the disastrous outing, Helsley gave up two line drives and walked four hitters. If the Cardinals intend to sell Helsley for a number of prospects at the trade deadline, they must keep him healthy and productive.
Right-hander Phil Maton, who has pitched 4.2 innings with six strikeouts and no walks, has emerged as one of the Cardinals’ few standouts in the arm barn. Andrew Kittredge, who signed with the Baltimore Orioles but will be out for several months following arthroscopic knee surgery, was replaced by Maton. It was a fortunate departure for the Cardinals, who may be in even worse shape now that Kittredge is out and there are no experienced players to take his place.
If the major league bullpen is hampered by an injury or continued inefficiency, Riley O’Brien might be the first minor league reliever called up. Throughout his brief major league career, O’Brien has struggled with control, despite tantalizing the Cardinals with his fierce stuff. Another applicant for a promotion is Roddery Munoz. Munoz, who was taken off waivers by the Cardinals in December 2024, has so far struck out seven batters in four innings pitched in Memphis.
