This Position Group Has Held Back Cardinals Through April

The St. Louis Cardinals have one significant roster hole that should be upgraded in the near future.

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

May is officially here and the St. Louis Cardinals are significiantly better than many expected that they would be at this point in the season.

St. Louis has played 31 games on the season so far and is 18-13 on the campaign and is riding a four-game winning streak right now after sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates over the last few days. St. Louis' biggest test of the season to this point will kick off on Friday night when the Cardinals begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home at Busch Stadium.

There is a lot to like about the 2026 Cardinals, starting with the performances of JJ Wetherholt and outfielder Jordan Walker. The Cardinals are going to go as far as the young guys take them. Even with the early-season success, don't expect to see some flashy addition this season. The plan has been evaluation and development, not some sort of massive, expensive addition that depletes the farm system. We could see some changes around the edges, but again, don't expect to see anything splashy. It's on these young guys to carry the Cardinals as far as they can. So far this season, they have shown that they can do a lot.

Wetherholt and Walker are just 23 years old. Masyn Winn is just 24 years old and looks like he's starting to find his groove. Iván Herrera is 25 years old and is finding his footing as well. Michael McGreevy is 25 years old and has a 2.97 ERA in six starts. Alec Burleson is 27 years old and has stepped up over at first base. The list goes on. Essentially, the young Cardinals are firing on all cylinders.

The Cardinals Need To Bolster The Bullpen

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

With the Cardinals, a lot has gone right. There is one position group that has held the club back, though. That is the bullpen.

The Cardinals have been able to find ways to win games, but the Cardinals' bullpen is ranked 26th in the league right now with a 5.15 ERA. Right now, Matt Svanson has a 10.26 ERA in 15 appearances, Justin Bruihl has a 5.63 ERA in 17 appearances, JoJo Romero has a 4.20 ERA in 15 appearances, Ryne Stanek has an 8.31 ERA in 15 appearances, and George Soriano has a 4.05 ERA in 14 appearances.

The bullpen isn't working right now, outside of Riley O'Brien (1.17 ERA) and Gordon Graceffo (1.04 ERA).

The Cardinals are still five games above .500, but something needs to be done about this bullpen. There are a few options available in free agency, like Michael Kopech, Justin Wilson and Jordan Romano, among others. Chris Roycroft is an internal option down in Triple-A.

If the Cardinals can keep up this level of play, something will need to be done about this bullpen to give the rest of the roster the support they need.