8 former fan-favorite Cardinals players without a job as Spring Training nears

These former Cardinals are stuck in free agency at the moment.

St Louis Cardinals v Cleveland Indians
St Louis Cardinals v Cleveland Indians | Ron Schwane/GettyImages
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5) Jose Quintana

When the Cardinals traded for Jose Quintana at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline, it felt underwhelming to many. For weeks, the Cardinals were in on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and walking away with Quintana and Jordan Montgomery instead felt like empty moves.

Well, that could not be further from the truth. After coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Quintana was one of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch for St. Louis, posting a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts while covering 62.2 innings of work. Quintana was a huge part of the Cardinals' push for the playoffs, helping stabilize their rotation by shutting down opposing lineups night in and night out.

Quintana landed a multi-year deal with the New York Mets the following offseason, and aside from injuries that derailed him in 2023, Quintana has actually remained a very valuable pitcher. In his two seasons with the Mets, Quintana posted a 3.70 ERA in 246 innings of work, and while he'll be in his age 36 season in 2025, it's hard to believe he won't find a job before Spring Training.

His 2.5 bWAR with the Mets in 2024 was the second-best mark of his career since 2017, and many teams would love to have a veteran presence like Quintana in their rotation next season.

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