The question asked of Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol during the recent Winter Warm-up was one he brought up often during the team’s summer cold spell, and one he now feels the roster has a better way to answer.
Marmol described how a collection of new relievers “give you the ability to mix and match a little bit,†but more importantly, this attempted bullpen reboot means additions who “will miss more bats.†And that, the manager said, is “important.†It is a phrase that he used throughout last season — identifying it as a priority, diagnosing it as a problem — and as soon as he said it this month, he caught the reaction from a media member who had heard it before.
“You’re smiling,†Marmol said, “because you know I love that.â€
Whether they’ve improved that is as much potential as it is perceptible.
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During their 91-loss season, the overtaxed Cardinals bullpen had the third-fewest strikeouts in the majors and the fifth-lowest rate of strikeouts per nine innings pitched, at 8.73. Two of the four teams worse than the Cardinals lost 100 games; only one had a winning record. Of the 11 relievers who threw more than 20 innings for the Cardinals, six are gone — either traded or bid farewell as free agent. But of the top four when it comes to strikeout rate, three are back.
While still in the mix for a few free-agent relievers, the Cardinals have yet to sign one this winter to a major league contract. They’ve added four notable relievers instead to the 40-man roster via trade or Rule 5 draft. Three of them have a career strikeout rate greater than 27%, and newcomer Nick Robertson’s nears 30% — in the minor leagues. As one of the returning pitchers said about himself, the Cardinals are “chasing strikeouts.†Getting them will hinge on how the Cardinals turn that breeze through the minors into more than a whiff of success in the majors.
And just as essentially, how much they get from returning strikeout standouts Ryan Helsley and JoJo Romero, neither of whom pitched more than 37 innings in 2023.
“When you look at Helsley and JoJo (and) you go down that list, now you have some firepower in addition to what was brought in,†Marmol said. “That allows you to look at that bullpen and shorten some games. It will be good to see them in person and see their stuff live. So I look forward to that.â€
Innings a focus
As much as the Cardinals detailed their offseason intent to acquire starters, to add seasoned leadership and to sign players “who want to be in ºüÀêÊÓƵ,†the undercurrent to their moves has been innings and how to allocate them. The Cardinals signed free-agent veteran starters Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, and all three pitched more than 180 innings in 2023. Their goal is to “shorten games.â€
A need is to shorten the use of the bullpen.
“Would you agree last year we had a lot of shorter starts? Right?†asked John Mozeliak president of baseball operations before suggesting the strain that placed on the bullpen. “On a personal level, my goal is just to get outs. If we get strikeouts, great. I think where our bullpen is — it’s stronger. Is there something that we could still possibly do? Possibly. I think the big thing too is just to understand that we’ve added those guys in the rotation and how does that trickle-down effect in the bullpen? We’ll use spring training to see what that looks like, but we definitely feel like we’ve added a lot of depth to our pitching.â€
The current centerpiece of the Cardinals’ bullpen renovation is right-hander Andrew Kittredge, a former All-Star who was acquired from Tampa Bay for outfielder Richie Palacios. In 2021, Kittredge went 9-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 57 games for the Rays. The Cardinals have been quick to point out the trivial nugget that he pitched in each inning that summer — opener in the first, closer in the ninth and reliable reliever everywhere in between. He has pitched only 31⅔ innings since because of injury, but now healthy, he has a wicked slider and a nose for strikes. He has walked only five of the previous 211 batters he’s faced.
He struck out 49.
Of the relievers added to the 40-man roster from outside the organization — all of them right-handed — Kittredge has by far the most experience and success in the majors.
Robertson appeared in nine games for the Dodgers and nine games for the Red Sox last season, and while he struck out 26 in 22⅓ innings, he also allowed 39 base runners. Acquired from Boston for Gold Glove-winning outfielder Tyler O’Neill, Robertson struck out 29.7% of the batters he faced in the minors and had a 10.2 strikeout-per-nine-innings rate. Ryan Fernandez, the Cardinals’ Rule 5 pick off Boston’s roster, struck out 28.2% of the batters he faced in the minors. The Cardinals sent cash to Seattle for power righty Riley O’Brien and his 10.3 K/9 rate in more than 430 minor league innings.
Last Friday, the Cardinals signed former Houston Astros reliever Josh James to a minor league deal. Because of a flexor tendon injury, the 30-year-old fireballer has not appeared in the majors since 2021, and he will start the spring in minor league camp to show his health and effectiveness. He averaged 97 mph on his fastball and, in the majors, nearly struck out twice as many (158) as he allowed hits (80) but also had a high walk rate.
A classic Powerball ticket signing, James also strikes at the crux of the Cardinals’ search for the swings and misses Marmol loves. They’ll try quantity and upside — and rely on the team’s support staff, analytics and pitching coaches to unlock or untrack the talent.
“To double down on a certain pitch, eliminate a pitch,†Marmol listed. “Being able to change the shape of something.â€
Andre Pallante, who led Cardinals relievers with 68 innings last season, and lefty Zack Thompson are two of the returning pitchers who workshopped new pitchers this offseason in the pursuit of strikeouts. Ground-ball-getting Pallante has been working on a harder curveball that plays off his fastball’s release point similar to Jordan Montgomery’s pitch nicknamed “death ball.†Thompson has found a grip for a “kick†change-up that gives it more drop — to miss bats. And then there is the array of sweepers and sliders and seam-shifted breaking balls that the newcomers bring to spring to be analyzed, utilized and (the Cardinals hope) maximized.
Looking for ‘courage’
But when asked if the key to swing and miss is the right pitch, Marmol cautioned that what a pitcher throws is only part of when they pitch and how they’ll pitch.
Or how often.
“It also has to match — we’ll just use the word — courage,†Marmol said. “It’s one thing to have a pitch. It’s another thing when you’re called upon to use it in a big situation to be able to stomach it.â€
Including setup man Giovanny Gallegos, eight relievers had at least 32 innings for the Cardinals last season. Four are gone, three of them traded at the deadline. Those three, which include new San Francisco Giants starter Jordan Hicks, also were among the three best the Cardinals had at missing bats. The four returning relievers struck out 23.8% of the batters they faced for the Cardinals. The four who departed struck out 26.3%. Those were all recent major league numbers. Simply subbing in the newcomers is misleading. Most of them have limited major league experience, so any combination of their numbers is statistical alchemy.
Their upside, based on minor league performance, is slightly better. But for most it has not manifested in the majors. That is opportunity is coming for the Cardinals to prove these moves mean more swing and miss, or just missed.
“Every, single person brought in was very strategic — there’s a purpose behind all of them,†Marmol said. “The puzzle pieces are coming together really well. Yes, to answer your question.â€