Cardinals Bolster Pitching Depth With Lefty Luis Peralta

The St. Louis Cardinals have a new hurler in town after claiming Luis Peralta from the Colorado Rockies.

Aug 17, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Luis Peralta (41) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a new hurler in town.

On Monday, John Denton of Roundtable Sports reported that left-handed hurler Luis Peralta has been claimed off waivers by the Cardinals from the Colorado Rockies.

"The Cardinals have claimed LHP Luis Peralta off waivers from the Rockies and optioned him to Memphis. Peralta, 25, appeared in 37 games for COL between 2024 [and] 2025 and struck out 14 in his 7.1 IP for Albuquerque (AAA). He is the brother of Mets RHP Freddy Peralta," Denton wrote.

Peralta is a 25-year-old hurler with 37 big league appearances under his belt. He made his big league debut in 2024 as a member of the Rockies. He had a 0.73 ERA in 15 total appearances to go along with a 14-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 1/3 innings pitched. The 2025 campaign was completely different. He pitched in 22 games for Colorado and had a 9.47 ERA in 19 innings pitched. His command wasn't great, to say the least, and he had a 16-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Cardinals Have Another Hurler In Town

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Luis Peralta (41) pitches during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

He hasn't pitched in a game in the majors yet this season. Peralta appeared in six games down in Triple-A and had a 17.18 ERA before being designated for assignment.

With St. Louis, this move is clearly betting on the upside that he showed in 2024. A 0.73 ERA in 15 appearances in 2024 is nothing to scoff at. St. Louis already optioned him down to Triple-A Memphis so he's going to have a chance to build up and show the club what he can do with much lower stakes down in the minors. If things work out and he can turn it around and look like the guy who broke out in 2024, then the Cardinals will be getting a bullpen depth option for minimal cost. If he's unable to get back on track and his struggles continue down in Triple-A, there won't be any harm for St. Louis in the majors.

Right now, the Cardinals are 25th in bullpen ERA in the league at 5.25. If Peralta can shine down in Triple-A, maybe he could be a solution to help with this. If not, then the Cardinals should look to make another move. For example, flamethrower Michael Kopech is out there for the taking in free agency right now. The 29-year-old has a career 4.14 ERA in 184 total appearances. In 2025, he had a 2.45 ERA in 14 appearances for the Dodgers.