Cardinals' Justin Bruihl Likely To Replace 6-Year Veteran

The St. Louis Cardinals made another under-the-radar move on Tuesday that could have a positive impact on the 2026 season.

St. Louis acquired left-handed relief pitcher Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations. Now, he's likely someone that a good chunk of the fanbase may not have heard of. He's a five-year big league veteran with 94 games of experience under his belt and a career 4.72 ERA. But it sounds like he will have a role with the team in 2026. After the deal was announced, MLB.com's John Denton noted that he's likely to replace lefty John King, who was non-tendered after the season ended.

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"To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Zak Kent was designated for assignment. The Cardinals had acquired Kent off waivers from the Guardians on Dec. 5," Denton wrote. "Bruihl will likely fill the role occupied the past three seasons by lefty reliever John King, who was not tendered a contract by the Cardinals following the 2025 season. Bruihl has held opposing left-handed batters to a .224 batting average with just two home runs and seven extra-base hits in his five-year MLB career (176 batters faced)."

The Cardinals added an intriguing lefty into the mix

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

If that's the case, then Bruihl will be walking into a significant role in the Cardinals' bullpen. King was non-tendered after the 2025 season after being a part of the organization since coming over in a trade with the Texas Rangers in 2023. King is out there for the taking in free agency after six seasons in the big leagues with the Rangers and Cardinals combined. In 2025, he made 51 appearances out of the Cardinals' bullpen and had a 4.66 ERA and 28-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 48 1/3 innings pitched. This was a step down from 2024 when he had a 2.85 ERA in 56 appearances.

Bruihl has never appeared in more than 27 big league games in a season in his career to this point. He won't be a free agent until 2031 and appears poised to have his largest big league role yet if he can impress in Spring Training. This deal certainly seems like a win-win on paper. The Cardinals get a needed lefty reliever and it sounds like the 28-year-old is going to get a real shot at a consistent big league role.

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