It's not the splashiest transaction of deadline season, but it's the kind of move that says a lot about where a team's depth chart actually stands. MLB Trade Rumors confirmed Cardinals reliever Scott Blewett has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract, putting St. Louis on the clock to either add him to the 40-man roster or watch him walk as a free agent.
Cardinals' Scott Blewett Exercises Opt-Out Clause t.co/KUEpKHdlZI
Blewett signed his minor league deal with St. Louis back in November, hoping to carve out a bullpen spot after bouncing through the Royals, Twins, Orioles and Braves organizations. He didn't break camp with the big league club, and instead spent the whole season logging innings at Triple-A Memphis, where his numbers were a mixed bag: a 5.18 ERA over 48 2/3 innings, but a strikeout rate around 28% against just an 8% walk rate, per reporting from Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch. Stuff that flashes swing-and-miss but hasn't translated to results on the surface.
The 30-year-old righty is a classic org-depth story: a former second-round pick by Kansas City back in 2014 who's carved out a journeyman's path ever since, finally debuting in the majors in 2020 and picking up a handful of appearances across four franchises. He's a 4-1 career pitcher with a 4.21 ERA in 43 big league outings — not a star, but exactly the kind of arm contenders lean on when the bullpen phone rings in August.
This is where opt-out clauses get spicy for a front office mid-deadline push. St. Louis now has to make a real decision on Blewett rather than letting him ride out the year in Memphis: promote him and burn a 40-man spot, or cut him loose and let another club scoop him up for nothing. Given the crowded state of most contenders' bullpens right now, it wouldn't be shocking if a team looking for a low-cost strikeout arm takes a flier the moment he hits the open market.
It's a minor domino, but minor dominoes are exactly what pile up during deadline week — every 40-man decision a front office makes now ripples into who's actually available to plug bullpen holes come August. Worth watching whether St. Louis makes room for him or lets him test the market.