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

8) Marco Gonzales

The early and mid-2010s were incredible for the Cardinals' pitching development. Like a factor, the club was constantly producing pitching talent for their Major League roster. While they had a strong list of high-ceiling starters who were a part of that mix, they also produced quality rotation arms like Marco Gonzales during his time with St. Louis.

Gonzales was never all that effective for St. Louis at the Major League level, but as a former first-round pick, the pedigree was such that fans had high expectations. Still, the Cardinals ended up swapping Gonzales for outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill in a deal with the Seattle Mariners, and that ended up leading to major value for both teams.

Gonzales went on to pitch seven big league seasons with the Mariners, posting a 4.08 ERA in 852.1 innings of work. While he wasn't a stud by any means, he was a valuable member of the Mariners' rotation and provided value each time his turn came up in the rotation.

Unfortunately for Gonzales, he experienced a season-ending injury this year related to his forearm and elbow and is now expected to miss the entire 2025 campaign. It will be interesting to see if a club is willing to bring in Gonzales this offseason on a cheap deal to rehabilitate, or if he'll have to try and find a suitor next offseason. Depending on how his recovery goes, we may have seen the last of Gonzales as a big leaguer.