One of the St. Louis Cardinals’ most beloved pitchers from 2017–2019 — John Brebbia — is now facing the most tragic moment of his career: he just signed a minor-league contract with the Colorado Rockies, in a last-ditch effort to “save” his professional career.
Redbird Rants
Brebbia — who had a peak season with a 3.14 ERA and 175 innings hit (2017–2019), a bullpen king — is now in a “downward spiral” with no way out. Injuries from Tommy John surgery combined with a chaotic 2020 due to the pandemic have erased the image of his “resurgence” with the Cardinals. Despite his subsequent recovery efforts with other teams — from the San Francisco Giants (2021–2023) with a 3.83 ERA, to the Chicago White Sox, to the Detroit Tigers — Brebbia has yet to find his form. At 35, with two consecutive years of poor numbers, he has only one option left: MiLB if he wants to hold on to hope.
Signing with the Rockies is not seen as a “salvation,” but more like a risk: Coors Field — the Rockies’ home field — is notoriously “unfriendly” for pitchers due to its altitude and field advantage, and is a real threat to anyone who has lost confidence in pitching. Given Brebbia’s home run count (16 HR in just under 80 innings recently), this could be… disastrous.
“This is the path some are forced to take if they want to keep their MLB dreams alive — but it could also be a death sentence for those who don’t recover,” said an inside source.
Recall that more than six years ago, Brebbia was a familiar face to Cardinals fans — the “facial-hair guru” of the bullpen, the man of steady, reliable moments.
But now, there are no more spotlights, no more cheers at Busch Stadium — instead, there are low-level tickets, MiLB training grounds, and immense pressure to “save the faith.”
And with every pitch in Colorado — if he is ever called up to the Big League — will be the ultimate test. Perhaps, for many Cardinals fans, this is more than just the forgotten career of a respected pitcher. It is a bitter reminder: in MLB, glory can disappear faster than you think — and sometimes, all that remains is a slim chance to cling to the dream.
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