Cards DFA veteran reliever Gallegos ahead of Trade Deadline

ST. LOUIS -- When the Cardinals made the decision to designate long-time reliever Giovanny Gallegos for assignment -- a move they decided upon on Saturday night and executed Sunday morning -- it was done in hopes of saving salary that the club can put toward a player added via a deal prior to Tuesday’s MLB Trade Deadline, per a team source.

Gallegos, one of the Cardinals’ most durable and trusted relievers from 2019-23, is making almost $6 million this season and has a $500,000 buyout for a 2025 club option that could have paid him $6.5 million. Forced to be creative with any additions they make before the MLB Trade Deadline because of financial constraints, the Cardinals are hopeful that another team will claim Gallegos, 32, off waivers for the financial flexibility it will allow them.

The Cardinals front office has been informed by management that the club is not positioned to take on significant additional salary in coming years via a trade, per the source.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak told MLB.com this week that the club would be aggressive in trying to add to a club that started 15-24, heated up over the next two months and has cooled off of late. When the Cardinals fell 14-3 to the Nationals on Saturday night, it was the club’s ninth loss in the past 15 games, and it knocked them further out of a Wild Card spot.

Gallegos, who was acquired by the Cardinals in 2018 in a trade with the Yankees, went into 2024 leading the NL in appearances (268) and innings thrown as a reliever (283 1/3) since 2019, per MLB research. However, he finished 2023 on the injured list, and he spent time there again this season with similar shoulder trouble. He allowed one run on three hits, but he struck out four over 1 2/3 innings of work on Saturday night against the Nats. He was 2-1 with a save and a 6.53 ERA over 21 appearances with the Cardinals this season.

“That was a very tough conversation because I have a ton of respect for Gio,” said manager Oliver Marmol, who was a part of the group that informed Gallegos of the roster move on Sunday morning. “He’s thrown some meaningful pitches for this organization from the time that we got him in the trade and he’s taken the ball a lot. He’s always said yes, been extremely competitive and he’s been a big part of that clubhouse when it comes to modeling what it looks like to be a leverage reliever.

“So, I have a lot of respect for him. Tough conversation, but he took it well.”

The Cardinals are hoping to add to a starting staff that struggled at times before the MLB All-Star break and has shown signs of wear and tear of late. Staff ace Sonny Gray, who was signed to a three-year, $75 million free-agent contract in November, has a 6.67 ERA over his past five starts, while the club’s starting staff has compiled a 5.43 ERA in July entering Sunday's game -- good for 27th in MLB.

Those struggles have put more of a strain on a bullpen that was the team’s strength early in the season. Their work is a big reason why the Cardinals have gone 19-14 in one-run games this season, but Marmol worries that isn’t a reliable formula for success over a 162-game season.

“We have found some unconventional ways … if you draw it up how you’d think we’d win this year, we’ve won differently, and I think the run differential shows that,” said Marmol, whose club went into Sunday’s game with a -49 run differential. “We’ve found ways to win a lot of these games that are really close because our ‘pen has been a big part of keeping us close where we can take a lead and hold it with [All-Star closer Ryan] Helsley.”

Marmol said he still has confidence that the Cardinals have enough firepower to not only make the playoffs but possibly go in as champions of the National League Central, a division the Brewers have led most of the season.

“If this starts to turn to how we think we can win -- we’ve played enough baseball to where I like our chances of what this looks like down the stretch,” Marmol said. “I really do. I’m as confident today as any day.”