Cardinals Reportedly Won't Re-Sign Pair Of High-Leverage Hurlers This Offseason

St. Louis is making some changes to the bullpen soon

Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially done with their disappointing 2024 season and must look ahead to the busy winter ahead for the front office.

It appears that the Cardinals are preparing for a slight rebuild after a few bombshells were dropped shortly before St. Louis' final game of the season against the San Francisco Giants, which the club won by a 6-1 score.

Not only do the Cardinals plan to move on from five-time Silver Slugger Paul Goldschmidt this winter but they also intend to restructure the bullpen after the latest shocking announcement.

"Per a league source, they (Cardinals) will unlikely retain any of their impending free agents, including relievers Andrew Kittredge and Keynan Middleton," The Athletic's Katie Woo reported Sunday afternoon.

Kittredge and Middleton were acquired in separate deals last offseason while the Cardinals looked to retool the pitching staff. However, only one of them was able to perform this season.

Middleton suffered a right forearm flexor strain shortly before the season started during spring training, which sadly required surgery -- ending his 2024 campaign before it began.

As for Kittredge, he logged a 5-5 record with a 2.80 ERA, 67-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and a 1.13 WHIP in 70 2/3 innings pitched for St. Louis this season.

The 34-year-old was an integral part of the dominant and reliable Cardinals bullpen in 2024 -- a piece of the three-headed monster led by St. Louis single-season saves leader Ryan Helsley.

With the Cardinals looking to reduce payroll and perhaps hit a franchise reset button this offseason, it makes sense why they would move on from Kittredge and Middleton.

More MLB: Ex-Cardinals All-Star 'Couldn't Be Happier' For Flamethrower After Latest Achievement