Cardinals Lose Veteran Reliever After He Exercises Opt-Out

A veteran reliever chose to opt out of his deal with St. Louis.

Apr 22, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Scott Blewett (63) pitches the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals put together a strong first half despite entering a rebuild under Chaim Bloom. Now, they will try to sustain that in the second half of the season.

They have accumulated a lot of pitching depth over the past several months and even added some pieces in the offseason that could be used as depth pieces. One of them was right-hander Scott Blewett, who joined the team on a minor league deal.

That deal included an opt-out clause. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Blewett has chosen to exercise that clause and can become a free agent.

RHP Scott Blewett has exercised his opt-out clause with the #stlcards , per source.

Veteran reliever has 63 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings with 62 hits allowed this season for Class AAA Memphis. Velocity was there in spring. He can become free agent without Cardinals move.

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 16, 2026

Cardinals lose Scott Blewett after he opts out of deal

Jun 15, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Scott Blewett (67) hands the ball to Baltimore Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino (36) during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Blewett began his major league career with the Kansas City Royals in 2020 and went overseas after the 2021 season. The right-hander returned in 2024 after joining the Minnesota Twins.

In 2025, he bounced around between the Twins, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, posting a 5.46 ERA. For his career, he is 4-1 with a 4.21 ERA in 43 appearances.

As Goold mentions in his post on X, the Cardinals do not need to make a roster move here. Blewett can simply elect free agency, and the Cardinals can find other ways to fill the 40-man roster spot.

With Triple-A Memphis, the 30-year-old right-hander went 4-1 and posted a 5.18 ERA and 1.66 WHIP is 37 appearances, two of which were starts. He showed promise with his strikeouts, but wasn't quite able to replicate that success in other areas, which likely played a role in him never being called up to St. Louis.

Blewett was selected by the Royals in the second round of the 2014 draft. He has never quite caught on with a major league team.

But his time with the Cardinals organization is likely at an end. It will be interesting to see if another team decides to take a chance on him as a depth piece for their bullpen. The Cardinals simply did not have much of a fit for him, but his ability to record strikeouts might have some other teams interested in picking him up as a depth option.

The Cardinals still have plenty of pitching depth in their system and can easily fill the spot on the 40-man roster with somebody else. Blewett showed some upside in spring training, but ultimately never found a spot for himself on the Cardinals active roster.