Cardinals Trade 5-Year Veteran Reliever to Athletics

The St. Louis Cardinals have a trade under their belt before the deadline.

Jun 28, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Scott Blewett (67) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially moving on from veteran reliever Scott Blewett.

St. Louis designated Blewett for assignment to make room on the roster for Hunter Dobbins before his start against the Los Angeles Angels last week. A few days later, Blewett is heading over to the American League West as a member of the Athletics.

The Cardinals shared on X that the organization has traded the reliever to the Athletics in exchange for cash.

"RHP Scott Blewett has been traded to the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations," the Cardinals announced.

RHP Scott Blewett has been traded to the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.

— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 27, 2026

The Cardinals Moved On

Jul 5, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Scott Blewett (67) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Blewett signed with the Cardinals on a minor league deal this past November. He spent the vast majority of this stint with the organization down in Triple-A. Blewett pitched in 37 games for Triple-A Memphis and had a 5.18 ERA in 48 2/3 innings pitched.

The end of his stint with the club was a bit of a roller coaster. He triggered an opt-out in his deal with St. Louis on July 15. He was selected to the big league club afterward to replace JoJo Romero, who is currently on the Injured List. Then, he made just one appearance in the majors before he was designated for assignment. His one outing was a good one. On July 21, he pitched two scoreless innings against the Angels, but the Cardinals opted to move on shortly afterward to make room on the roster for Dobbins.

Now, he's going to an organization where there's at least a shot that he could have a shot at making an impact. The Athletics have the worst bullpen in baseball. That is not an exaggeration. The Athletics have the worst bullpen ERA in the league at 5.53. The closest team to the Athletics is Kansas City Royals at 5.24.

Blewett may not have made much of an impact in St. Louis, but he's a five-year big league veteran with a 4.10 career ERA in 44 total big league outings. Not a big sample size, but better than what the Athletics have done this season.

For the Cardinals, the fact that they got anything is positive. After being designated for assignment, Blewett could've simply been claimed off waivers. If he went unclaimed, he could've opted to head to free agency. Instead, the Cardinals were able to trade him and get something in return. For a player that wasn't a part of the vision for the club the rest of the season, that is a win.