The St. Louis Cardinals made a quiet move on Tuesday that might not turn heads at first glance-but don’t be surprised if it ends up playing a role in shaping their bullpen picture heading into spring training. The club acquired left-handed reliever Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations, adding another southpaw to a roster that’s suddenly thin on proven lefty arms.

To make room for Bruihl on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals designated right-hander Zak Kent for assignment. Kent, who had just arrived in St. Louis via waivers from Cleveland last month, posted a 4.58 ERA in limited action during the 2025 season.

Bruihl, 28, is no stranger to the big-league shuffle. He’s bounced around in recent years, suiting up for the Dodgers, Rockies, Pirates, and Blue Jays before landing with the Guardians in December-also for cash considerations. Cleveland, in turn, designated slugging outfielder Jhonkensy Noel to make room for Bruihl, and Noel was later claimed by the Orioles.

Now, Bruihl finds himself in St. Louis, where the Cardinals are clearly looking to shore up their left-handed relief depth. His career numbers-4.72 ERA over 89.2 innings, 69 strikeouts, and a 1.372 WHIP-aren’t flashy, but there are some intriguing elements under the hood.

Let’s start with his 2025 stint in Toronto. In 15 appearances, Bruihl logged 13.2 innings, striking out 18 while walking 10 and posting a 5.27 ERA.

That walk rate is definitely a red flag, but his 4.16 FIP suggests he may have been a bit unlucky. There’s reason to believe he could be more effective with better command and a tighter grip on his approach out of the bullpen.

Bruihl’s arsenal is built around a three-pitch mix: a sinker, a sweeper, and an occasional cutter. He doesn’t light up the radar gun-his fastball velocity sat at 90.2 MPH last season, which ranked in the fifth percentile league-wide-but he makes up for it by limiting hard contact.

Opponents averaged just 87.2 MPH in exit velocity against him, and his 30.8% hard-hit rate shows he’s not giving up a ton of barrels. In today’s game, where contact management is increasingly valuable, that’s something to keep an eye on.

Where Bruihl has really made his mark is in matchups against left-handed hitters. Over his career, lefties have managed just a .224/.282/.298 slash line against him-that’s a .580 OPS. That kind of specialist profile could be exactly what the Cardinals need, especially after non-tendering John King in November and with JoJo Romero drawing significant trade interest.

And that’s where this move could get interesting. Right now, Romero is the only lefty reliever on the roster with real MLB experience.

Nick Raquet is also on the 40-man, but he’s not expected to break camp with the big club. If Romero is dealt-and there’s every indication the market for him is active-Bruihl could slide into a more prominent role than this transaction initially suggests.

It’s not hard to connect the dots. The Cardinals might be positioning themselves to move Romero for prospects, and Bruihl gives them a bit of insurance if that happens. While he’s not a one-for-one replacement in terms of upside or reliability, he offers a left-handed option with some intriguing tools and a track record of handling same-side hitters.

There’s also the cutter, a pitch Bruihl doesn’t use often but has shown promise in generating strikeouts. If the Cardinals’ new front office, led by Chaim Bloom, sees untapped potential there, they might try to tweak his pitch usage and unlock a more effective version of the lefty.

For now, this is a depth move. But in a bullpen that’s still taking shape, especially on the left side, Justin Bruihl could end up playing a bigger role than expected. And if JoJo Romero is indeed on the move, this trade might be the first domino in a larger bullpen reshuffle.