The Cardinals are doing their best to keep their heads above water in May, going 11-9 in their 20 games played thus far. As we approach the 1/3 point of the season, once you cross that threshold, it’s no longer early anymore. At that point, they’re in it, and the “it’s early” qualifiers begin to drop off, and this group just keeps their heads down and tries to do the right thing at the right moment, and then looks up at the end of 9 innings to see where they stand. For what it’s worth, projection models are still hesitant to buy into the team. Fangraphs still has the Cardinals at only a 30% chance of making the playoffs, and they only outpace the Cincinnati Reds at this point in the division in that regard.
It would be natural, at this point, to start identifying areas of the roster that could use some additional help if the Cardinals hope to sustain into the later stages of the season. In 2025, Kyle Leahy emerged as the multi-inning bridge to Romero-Maton-Helsley, and he was highly effective in that spot. Pitching in 62 games, he posted a 3.07 ERA in 88 IP. His 3.04 FIP also speaks highly to his performance, combining to accrue 1.4 fWAR as a reliever. Among 23 primary right-handed relievers who pitched a minimum of 70 innings in 2025, Kyle Leahy ranked 9th in baseball in WPA+ (Win Probability Added). So, he was one of the 10 most positively influential relievers in baseball.
This season, since Leahy transitioned to the rotation, the Cardinals have been searching for a replacement for the vacancy he left once moving up. Matt Svanson was supposed to fill that role, and it’s been an ugly go of it for him so far. Gordon Graceffo has done an admirable job of coming into games, throwing strikes, getting quick outs, and preserving the game where it is, for the most part, but he hasn’t generated the type of swing and miss a modern relief pitcher is expected to generate. When he spoke to us on the podcast earlier this month, he referenced that and mentioned they were looking into how to get more of that out of his game. There is, however, a multi inning reliever tearing it up at AAA Memphis currently that could be an immediate solution…
Max Rajcic.
A former starter-turned reliever has been money for the Memphis Redbirds in 2026, and in almost 30 IP this season, the sample size is getting harder and harder to ignore the more season that passes. Just like Leahy, in shorter stints, the stuff is playing up, Rajcic has 5+ pitches to turn to, and his sweeper is his true out pitch. All of those things you can say about Kyle Leahy are also applicable to Rajcic. The other interesting part to this is that Rajcic is still only 24 years old, even after being drafted 4 seasons ago in the 6th round out of UCLA.
The Cardinals have already swapped out their most glaring hole in the bullpen by optioning Matt Svanson on Sunday, opting for Ryan Fernandez, who appears back to 2024 form. They also dropped Chris Roycroft back to Memphis at the beginning of April, and that has not gone any better for Roycroft since his demotion. I continue to wonder how transferable Roycroft’s 40-man spot is and if the Cardinals would swap Rajcic for Roycroft, given that Rajcic is performing at the upper minors, is younger, has more actionable pitches, and would have the full flexibility to continue to option up and down for seasons to come, whereas Roycroft is closing in on an expiration of optionablity without waivers.
The Cardinals over the last 2-3 seasons have really made hay by featuring an effective bullpen, with multiple unique weapons, at Manager Oli Marmol’s disposal. If the Cardinals can manage to continue what they have started in the early portion of the season, they will likely start to act with a little more urgency and aggression when it comes to addressing weak points on the roster that aren’t performing. It isn’t a secret that the Cardinals’ low-leverage relievers are gettable, and eliminating those areas in favor of other young ascending pieces with more upside would seem to make too much sense. Hopefully, Rajcic can get his chance soon and contribute to a Cardinals roster in need of a couple of new elements in the bullpen.
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