Despite widespread calls to begin a much-needed rebuild, the St. Louis Cardinals entered this season insisting they were ready to compete in what seemed like a wide-open NL Central — at least until the Chicago Cubs suddenly surged ahead. But as May arrives, that plan is unraveling: following a lopsided loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, the Cardinals are 14-18, barely staying ahead of the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
One of the main reasons for their poor start? A shaky bullpen, which owns a 4.69 ERA — 24th in the league — as manager Oli Marmol struggles to find consistent arms beyond Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton. With their postseason hopes already fading, it would make sense to see the Cardinals acquire bullpen help.
Instead, they traded away one of their more intriguing relief prospects.
Yes, you read that right: St. Louis shipped Triple-A reliever Ryan Loutos — a Washington University alum — to the Dodgers in exchange for nothing but cash considerations.
Loutos was removed from the 40-man roster earlier this week to make room for infielder Jose Barrero, prompting the move.
Reliever and WashU grad Ryan Loutos was removed from the Cardinals' 40-man roster earlier this week to make room for infielder Jose Barrero.
He was acquired by Los Angeles today. An announcement by teams is expected shortly. #stlcards #Dodgers https://t.co/IWYK4k9yqn
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) May 1, 2025
So, what happened? To activate Barrero, the Cardinals had to clear a roster spot. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak chose Loutos, who was designated for assignment and quickly picked up by Los Angeles. Rather than losing him outright, the team managed to get some money in return.
Still, even with a reasonable explanation, the optics of the move reflect poorly on a franchise that continues to operate without a clear, coherent strategy.
Cardinals aren’t in a position to let relievers walk out the door
At 26 years old and with only three major league innings to his name, Loutos is far from a proven option. Still, he’s shown strong performance early on at Triple-A Memphis, posting a 3.38 ERA over eight innings. Considering how poorly most of the St. Louis bullpen has performed, you’d think he’d at least be given a chance to see what he could offer.
Apparently not. The Dodgers’ decision to quickly scoop up Loutos should be raising red flags for the Cardinals’ front office, especially given how successful Los Angeles has been at spotting and developing talent under Andrew Friedman. The Dodgers themselves need pitching depth and saw enough in Loutos to act fast.
Yet what works for one of the league’s top organizations isn’t good enough for John Mozeliak. If the Cardinals are truly committed to contending in 2025—or even just hoping to discover a trade asset—Loutos seemed like a low-risk, potentially valuable option. But with Mozeliak unsure of his direction in what could be his final season, he continues to be more of a hindrance than a help to his team.
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