Despite widespread calls for them to finally begin a rebuild, the St. Louis Cardinals entered this season with high hopes of competing in a seemingly winnable NL Central (well, that was the expectation, until the Chicago Cubs decided to step up). However, as May begins, things aren’t going as planned: After a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, St. Louis is now 14-18, ahead of only the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates in the division.
One of the primary reasons for their slow start? The bullpen, with a 4.69 ERA that ranks 24th in the league, as manager Oli Marmol struggles to find reliable options beyond Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton. With the postseason already starting to slip out of reach, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Cardinals made a trade involving a promising relief prospect.
Wait, hold on. You mean to say that St. Louis gave up a promising relief prospect, sending Triple-A right-hander Ryan Loutos to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for just cash considerations?
Loutos, a reliever and WashU graduate, was removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster earlier this week to make space for infielder Jose Barrero. He was picked up by the Dodgers on Thursday, with an official announcement expected soon.
There is some reasoning behind the decision—St. Louis had to make room for Barrero’s promotion to the Major League roster, which led to Loutos being designated for assignment. Rather than losing him for nothing, the Cardinals at least secured some cash in return.
However, even with this explanation, it’s hard to ignore how this move feels like another sign that the team lacks a clear sense of direction.
Cardinals aren’t in a position to let relievers walk out the door
Loutos, a 26-year-old with only three major league innings to his name, isn’t a guaranteed success. However, he’s performed well at Triple-A Memphis, posting a 3.38 ERA over eight innings. Given the struggles of the St. Louis bullpen, it might seem like he could be worth a shot to see if he could provide some help.
Apparently, that’s not the case. The fact that the Dodgers were quick to grab Loutos should be raising concerns in the Cardinals front office, especially considering how successful L.A. has been at spotting and developing talent under Andrew Friedman. With the Dodgers also needing pitching depth, they saw enough potential in Loutos to move quickly and secure him.
However, what’s good enough for the top organization in baseball isn’t enough for Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak. If the Cardinals are serious about being competitive in 2025 or even just want to find a trade asset to move at the deadline, Loutos seemed like a reasonable gamble. But Mozeliak appears unsure about what direction he wants to take in his final season, and it seems like he’s getting in the way of his team’s potential.