Former Dodgers reliever gets traded to NL rival after Blue Jays stint

If you’re trying to keep up with Justin Bruihl’s teams, good luck.

His Blue Jays chapter was less “long-term relationship” and more “short-term sublet.” Bruihl popped up for some bullpen innings in 2025 and even got a postseason cameo against the Yankees. Before the offseason could cross into 2026, Toronto designated him for assignment in mid-December to clear 40-man space. From there it turned into a full-on transaction speed-run: traded to Cleveland for cash on Dec. 17… and DFA’d by the Guardians three days later.

And now there’s a new stop on the tour. On Jan. 6, the Cardinals acquired the left-hander from Cleveland for cash considerations, then cleared the 40-man spot by designating right-hander Zak Kent for assignment.

Former Dodgers reliever Justin Bruihl lands in St. Louis after a chaotic offseason

So yes, Blue Jays stint, probably never moved to Cleveland, and now a fresh uniform before most of us have even recovered from the New Year’s hangover.

Bruihl is a classic Dodgers-development trivia answer. He’s the kind of player the org has turned into real big-league innings for years. He debuted with LA on August 8, 2021, and quickly became one of those “Dave Roberts is comfortable using him in an actual game” bullpen options. 

His highlight in Dodger lore is probably the “wait, Justin Bruihl got a save?” moment, when he picked up his first career MLB save in a win over the Giants in September 2022. 

But the cruel part of being a reliever on a deep team is that you can go from “useful” to “expendable” fast. The Dodgers designated Bruihl for assignment in July 2023, and since then he’s bounced around — Rockies, Pirates, Blue Jays, Guardians… and now the Cardinals. 

St. Louis isn’t trading for 2021 Bruihl, they’re buying a low-cost lefty flier with some big-league experience, a deceptive look, and enough movement to survive if his command shows up that week.

And from the Dodgers’ perspective? This is just another reminder that the “random Dodgers reliever you vaguely remember” pipeline is real. Even if Bruihl isn’t a permanent bullpen answer anymore, he’s still interesting enough that teams keep swapping cash for a chance to unlock him.

It’s not exactly headline-of-the-day stuff in L.A. — but it’s the kind of move that becomes extremely annoying if Bruihl pops up in an NLDS game and starts inducing grounders like it’s 2022 again.