Even though most people were urging them to finally begin a rebuild, the St. Louis Cardinals came into the season insisting they could compete in what appeared to be a wide-open NL Central—at least until the Chicago Cubs surged ahead unexpectedly. But now that we’ve reached May, that plan isn’t panning out: after a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, the Cardinals sit at 14-18, only ahead of the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates in the division standings.
One of the main reasons for their rough start? A shaky bullpen, which holds a 4.69 ERA—24th in MLB—as manager Oli Marmol searches for dependable arms beyond Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton. With the postseason already slipping away, it would make sense for the team to look for help. So, the Cardinals made a trade involving a promising reliever.
Wait—except they traded away that promising reliever? Yes, St. Louis sent Triple-A right-hander Ryan Loutos to the Dodgers in exchange for just cash considerations.
There is some reasoning behind the move. Earlier in the week, the Cardinals called up infielder Jose Barrero to the big league roster, which required a corresponding move. President of Baseball Ops John Mozeliak chose to designate Loutos for assignment, and when the Dodgers claimed him Thursday, the Cardinals managed to get some cash rather than lose him outright.
Still, the rationale doesn’t make the move any easier to swallow for a franchise that increasingly looks like it’s lacking a clear direction.
Cardinals aren’t in a position to let relievers walk out the door
Ryan Loutos, a 26-year-old with just three MLB innings to his name, isn’t exactly a guaranteed contributor. Still, he’s been impressive at Triple-A Memphis so far, posting a 3.38 ERA over eight innings. Considering how rough most of the Cardinals’ bullpen has been, you’d think giving someone like Loutos a chance would make sense.
Apparently not. The fact that the Dodgers were quick to snatch him up should raise red flags in the Cardinals’ front office. Under Andrew Friedman, L.A. has a proven track record of finding and developing overlooked talent. They’re in need of pitching depth themselves, and clearly saw enough promise in Loutos to act quickly.
But what the most well-run franchise in baseball deems valuable evidently isn’t good enough for John Mozeliak. If the Cardinals are truly committed to competing in 2025—or even just hoping to discover a trade asset for this year’s deadline—Loutos looked like a player worth trying out. Instead, Mozeliak, in his final season, appears unsure of his direction and continues to hinder the team’s progress.
