The Cardinals bullpen is a mess, and they need to figure something out if they’re going to reach the postseason in 2021.
On Wednesday, Alex Reyes blew his third save of the second half. Though his stats for the season are good thus far, his second half has been rough. He’s 0-3 with a 5.65 ERA in his last 15 games.
Perhaps a closer change is in order for St. Louis. Below, we list three potential candidates to take over the closer’s role should Reyes continue to struggle.
Giovanny Gallegos
Gallegos, like Reyes, got off to a shaky start in the second half of the season, but he seems to be correcting his mistakes of late. His ERA is still barely over 3, and he’s been perhaps the most reliable Cardinals reliever over the past few seasons.
Gallegos came over from the Yankees in the Luke Voit deal; a deal which many fans look at as a major steal for New York. But if Gallegos stays on his current trend of scoreless innings, he could be a candidate to fill the closer’s role.
Luis Garcia
This would be a temporary solution, given that Garcia is only under contract for this season, but after a nightmare start to his Cardinals debut, the 34-year-old right-hander has proven to be a good find by president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. He’s yet to record a save, but has not been scored upon in his last seven games. He’s also got a fastball that can reach 100 MPH. This is worth considering if the Cardinals want to shuffle their pen.
T.J. McFarland
Another hidden gem found by Mozeliak, McFarland has been everything the Cards have asked for in 2021. The 32-year-old lefty is 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA and has come through in some high-leverage situations, most recently Wednesday, in which he threw a scoreless tenth vs. the Tigers and earned the win.
Like Garcia, McFarland would probably be a temporary solution, but he’s proven he’s capable of being deployed in high-leverage spots and getting the job done.
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