The offseason is here for the St. Louis Cardinals, and the team needs to make a few moves to make to get them back to an October appearance in 2019.

First off, the Cardinals are lacking strength in the bullpen. Behind Jordan Hicks, the bullpen is very blurry. Bud Norris had a stellar 2018, but hit rough patches towards the end of the season. Currently, Norris is set to hit free agency with no indication that he will be back for 2019. The only other consistently solid reliever in 2018 was John Brebbia, he even he was better in 2017. He had rough outings earlier in the season, though made up for it later in the year.

Chasen Shreve and Tyler Webb were solid out of the bullpen, but advanced stats say that they could be lucky with their results. However, if they get outs coming out of the bullpen, they should belong in the bullpen. Pitchers like Brett Cecil, Dominic Leone, Luke Gregerson, Matt Bowman and Mike Mayers put up very concerning. Through all of this, one reliever might of stood out for 2019. That would be Giovanny Gallegos. Gallegos put up video game numbers in AAA with an absolute insane strikeout per nine. He was acquired from the Yankees in exchange from Luke Voit, and appeared in the MLB for St. Louis, not allowing a run in two innings pitched.

Next up, an infielder may be the best option for the Cardinals. Jedd Gyorko has been on a huge decline since his big first season with the Cardinals in 2016. Gyorko now could find himself on the way out, which could leave room for a big impact player, possibly Manny Machado or Josh Donaldson. Machado’s, 26 youth, and his impact bat and glove would be a huge add for the Cardinals, and playing shortstop or third is not an issue. Wherever Machado wants to play, Paul DeJong has the ability to play the other position. Machado’s bat mixed with Marcell Ozuna, Matt Carpenter and the rest of the lineup is a huge threat.

Finally, the Cardinals need to add some depth. This season, amongst all of the injuries, players like Adolis Garcia and Preston Guilmet were called upon. Garcia was clearly not ready for the majors, hitting a measly .118 and only being used for pinch running and defensive replacements. Guilmet, though he had earned it from performances in the AAA, did very poorly, allowing seven runs in two innings, good for a 22.50 ERA. This could call for some minor league signings of average big leaguers. Outfielders such as Brandon Barnes could be a fit. Someone to store in AAA off of the 40 man roster that can be added and perform at an average level until the player he had replaced can return to the team.

The Cardinals have a long offseason ahead of them, already signing Adam Wainwright. It is much too early to tell what exactly they will do, but for now, it is fun to speculate.