The Cards Should Be Calling Matt Bowman

The Cardinal Chronicle
ARMCHAIR GM: The Cardinals Should Be Calling Matt Bowman
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The Cardinals do not need to make a blockbuster trade to fix every bullpen problem by Memorial Day.

They do, however, need to keep looking for usable arms.

That is where Matt Bowman comes in.

Bowman, the former Cardinals right-hander, was granted his release by the Minnesota Twins after exercising an opt-out clause in his minor league contract. He did not force his way out because he was pitching poorly. Quite the opposite. At Triple-A St. Paul, Bowman posted a 1.69 ERA over 21 1/3 innings, with a 28.1 percent strikeout rate and a 6.7 percent walk rate.

That is not the kind of arm a club with bullpen questions should ignore.

St. Louis entered Wednesday at 28-19, very much in the middle of the National League conversation. But the bullpen remains one of the soft spots on the roster. The group has had moments, and Riley O’Brien and JoJo Romero have given manager Oliver Marmol real late-inning answers, but the bridge to those arms has not always been steady. The bullpen ERA sits at 4.43, ranking 20th in the majors, according to the pushed data.

That does not mean panic. It means maintenance.

Good teams do not wait until the wheel falls off before checking the lug nuts.

Bowman is not a savior, and nobody should pretend he is. He is 34, he has bounced around, and there is a reason he was available. But that is exactly the point. This is not a prospect-for-reliever trade. This is not a July overpay. This is not the kind of move that costs you a young arm you may regret losing two years from now.

It is a phone call.

It is a low-cost veteran look for a club that needs more dependable middle-inning coverage.

Bowman also fits the Cardinals’ current identity. He is a ground-ball pitcher, and the pushed data has him inducing grounders at a 54.5 percent rate. Put that type of arm in Busch Stadium, in front of a strong infield defense, and there is at least a baseball reason to believe it can work.

That matters.

The Cardinals are not built right now to simply overpower everyone from the sixth inning on. They are winning with defense, timely hitting, athleticism, and just enough pitching to survive. A veteran sinker-baller who throws strikes and keeps the ball on the ground is not flashy, but neither is a good pair of work boots. You still reach for them when there is a job to do.

There is also familiarity here. Bowman began his major league career with the Cardinals and pitched in 181 games for St. Louis from 2016 through 2018, according to the pushed background. That does not guarantee a reunion makes sense, but it removes some of the mystery. The organization knows the pitcher. Bowman knows the organization. Sometimes baseball people make the game harder than it needs to be.

The Cardinals do not need to declare him the answer. They just need to decide whether he is better than the next arm on the shuttle.

That is the real question.

If the answer is yes, then go get him.

This is exactly the kind of roster housekeeping a contending club should be doing in May. The trade deadline is still down the road. The standings are still forming. The division picture is still taking shape. But wins in May count the same as wins in August, and a bullpen leak today can become a flooded basement by July if nobody grabs a wrench.

Bowman is not the whole solution.

But he might be part of one.

And for the cost, the Cardinals should be interested.

Old School Take

You do not have to win the transaction wire with fireworks. Sometimes you win it by paying attention.

Matt Bowman is available, he is pitching well, he throws strikes, he gets ground balls, and the Cardinals need bullpen help. That is not complicated.

Call the man.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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