Former Cardinals Pitcher Suggests Team Could Cash In on All-Star

The St. Louis Cardinals were not the most active team at the trade deadline this season, yet they still made a few smart trades.

The Cardinals are in the middle of a rebuild, and though the team exceeded expectations this season, they are still a year or two away from having a chance to contend for a championship. With that in mind, St. Louis wisely traded away a few veteran players, including Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar, at the trade deadline to bolster its farm system.

One player whose name popped up in trade rumors around the deadline that the Cardinals decided to keep was closer Riley O'Brien. O'Brien, 31, posted a 4.08 ERA this season with 64 strikeouts across 66 appearances. The right-handed hurler earned his first career All-Star selection and tied for the most saves in the National League with 38.

O'Brien drew a lot of buzz around the trade deadline, and it wouldn't be surprising if that happened again this offseason. While appearing on the Cardinal Territory podcast, former Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson floated the idea that St. Louis could cash in on O'Brien now that more teams would likely be involved.

Would the Cardinals look to deal O'Brien with his value at an all-time high?

"I think you're going to see some bullpen turnover probably," Gibson said on Monday. "You know, I think it's probably the most fluctuating spot on a roster. And this isn't just guys in the big leagues, right? There's gonna be guys who, you know, have never debuted, possibly that are on the 40-man, that will, you know, not be with the team, whether it's DFA or trade.

"But, I don't know necessarily which guys out there in the bullpen, but, you know, I think (Ryne) Stanek was good for the bullpen by all accounts. You're gonna have to have some veteran leadership down there. It'll be interesting if they use this offseason to maybe trade O'Brien. All 29 other teams are kind of in the mix right now, where at the deadline, you only got the playoff teams. So he has just as much value now as he did at the deadline."

Despite his value being at an all-time high, it would be surprising to see St. Louis trade O'Brien. This was the 31-year-old's first season as a primary closer, and he did not disappoint. Though he came back down to earth a bit in the second half of the season, O'Brien was still a solid reliever.

St. Louis' bullpen is one of the team's weaknesses. Trading away one of its best relievers for an uncertain return would be an odd move, especially with O'Brien under contract through the 2030 season.