Cardinals Should Try This Reliever in Rotation After Success with Kyle Leahy

After Kyle Leahy panned out, the Cardinals could have another option to start.

Sep 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals successfully transitioned Kyle Leahy to the starting rotation this year, and he won 10 games and posted a 3.66 ERA in 30 starts. Now, he is expected to be a key piece in the rotation in 2027. But that shouldn't be the last reliever the Cardinals transition to the rotation.

They have had a lot of success transitioning relievers to the rotation, and it certainly helps with depth when teams are able to do that. St. Louis has an obvious candidate to move to the rotation for 2027 and beyond currently in their bullpen in Gordon Graceffo.

Why Gordon Graceffo should start

Sep 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First of all, it never hurts to have as much starting pitching depth as possible. The Cardinals have more than their fair share now. Still, Hunter Dobbins will miss most, if not all of 2027, and it's always important to have more depth in case of an injury.

This allows the Cardinals to have a lot of options in house before they worry about signing a free agent. That could still happen, but what they currently have could get them through a season. Having more of it is never a bad idea.

This could then leave room for them to upgrade in areas that really need attention. The rotation was their strength this year, but the bullpen was their biggest weakness. It also wouldn't hurt to add some offense, as the bats have gone quiet in the month of September.

But Graceffo's arsenal certainly plays better as a starter. He has already proven he can go multiple innings in relief, so stretching him out wouldn't be too hard. He even pitched three perfect innings in a bullpen game against the Baltimore Orioles, one that he actually started, so he is somebody that could make sense for the St. Louis rotation in 2027.

The Cardinals have had a lot of success doing this with starting pitchers, with Adam Wainwright being the finest example. Leahy is the latest case of why making relievers into starters is an experiment worth conducting.

It will be interesting to see what they decide to do with Graceffo. More rotation options are a net positive for a team that is just starting to accumulate more depth in the system. There is more on the way, but they could keep adding to that arsenal of pitchers simply by making this internal fix.