Cardinals Can't Afford to Make This Mistake with Riley O'Brien

The Cardinals shouldn't make this mistake this offseason.

Sep 19, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite what their 77-85 record would indicate, the St. Louis Cardinals had a lot of success stories in 2026. JJ Wetherholt burst onto the scene, Kyle Leahy found his form as a starting pitcher and Alec Burleson led Major League Baseball in RBI. Riley O'Brien, Jordan Walker and Ivan Herrera were also All-Stars, with Walker even winning the Home Run Derby.

Last offseason, the Cardinals traded away several veterans to make room for their younger players. That could potentially happen this offseason to a lesser extent. Before the trade deadline, there was speculation that O'Brien could be a trade chip. However, the Cardinals held onto him.

They ultimately made the right choice to keep him, and would be making a mistake if they do trade him this winter.

Cardinals should hold onto Riley O'Brien

O'Brien still has four years of club control remaining. He also led the National League in saves. That is potentially an argument to trade him, as the Cardinals could get a good return for him. However, the bullpen was the biggest weakness this season, posting a 4.40 ERA, the fifth-worst in the National League.

While O'Brien did struggle in the second half and ultimately ended up leading the National League in blown saves, it's important to remember that this was his first full season as the team's closer. Without him, the bullpen would have been in much worse shape. He even had a 2.94 ERA as late as August 23.

The bullpen needs that presence at the back end, and instead of trying to find a taker for O'Brien, they should simply keep him and allow him to grow as the team's closer in 2027. Something that would also help is to acquire a bullpen piece capable of closing to take the pressure off of him.

Beyond O'Brien, the Cardinals really didn't have any other options, so he was ultimately the one they had to go with as the closer. Anybody else simply wasn't cut out for the job.

O'Brien has an electric fastball and sweeper, which plays well at the end of games, and the Cardinals would be unwise to offload him just to get prospects. Their farm system is in much better shape than it has been in years. The painful part of the rebuild has already happened.

Soon, it will be time to supplement the young core. Keeping O'Brien doesn't derail their plans, but it wouldn't be a good idea to move him.

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