It is the second cash deal of the winter for Bruisl, who turns 29 in June. The left-hander started the offseason with the Blue Jays but was bumped from the roster when Toronto signed a right-hander Tyler Rogers last month. The Guardians sent some money north of the order to seize Bruishl, but designated him for assignment three days later when they signed Shawn Armstrong. DFA limbo normally lasts up to a week, but there are different rules around the holidays, so Bruihl hung around there for almost three weeks.
He’s finally got some determination now and it could be a good place for him to get some big league playing time. Bruihl posted good numbers in 2025 but exhausted his final option season, pushing him to the fringes of Toronto’s roster. The Jays have been busy upgrading their pitching staff for another run in 2026 and have cut Bruilhl. Cleveland had one of the best bullpens in the league last year and would also have a hard time keeping the lefty around for long.
But the Cardinals are rebuilding and should therefore have a little more breathability in their relief group. JoJo Romero is currently the leftmost player in their projected bullpen, but he is still a year away from free agency, meaning he will likely be traded in the coming weeks. If Romero is dealt, Bruihl remains and Nick Raquet as the two lefty relievers on St. Louis’ 40-man roster. Raquet was called up late in the 2025 season and has just two big league innings under his belt.
Bruihl has thrown 89 2/3 innings over multiple seasons between the Dodgers, Rockies and Blue Jays. Toronto only let him throw 13 2/3 big league innings in 2025, but he did a decent job despite having a 5.27 earned run average. His 10.8% walk rate was a bit high in that small sample size, but his 27.7% strikeout rate and 46.2% groundball rate were both a few ticks better than average. Last year, he also logged 42 Triple-A innings with a 3.43 ERA, a 27.8% strikeout rate, a 9.1% walk rate and a 58.4% groundball rate.
The Cards might be able to sign some veterans before Opening Day, but it’s a good landing spot for Bruihl to get some more time in the majors. If he succeeds with the Cardinals in 2026, they can keep the relationship going. He currently has one year and 112 days of service remaining, meaning he is five years away from free agency. He would also be affordable for the rebuilding club as he is still in his pre-arbitration years.
Kent, 28 in February, has never pitched for the Cardinals. He was just cleared from the Guardians a month ago. He made his major league debut last year with the Guards and posted a 4.58 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. His 21.1% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, and 37.3% groundball rate were all slightly worse than league average.
He has some interesting minor league numbers. He threw 38 Triple-A innings last year with an ERA of 2.84. He grounded out on 54% of balls in play at that level and struck out 31.4% of batters, though he also walked walks at a high clip of 13.2%.
However, like Bruisl, Kent is out of options Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last month that he is eligible for a fourth option year. Maybe that will help him join somewhere else. The Cards will now be given seven days of DFA limbo to find out what’s next for Kent. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so they have up to five days to process trade interests.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
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