Cardinals Spring Training: Reliever traded, catchers rising, Spring Breakout performance

The St. Louis Cardinals are less than two weeks from their home opener when they host the Minnesota Twins, and the roster is beginning to take shape with players being released or optioned to minor league camp.

Bailey Horn DFAd, traded to Tigers

The Cardinals' first transaction of 2025 came when they claimed left-handed reliever Bailey Horn off of waivers after he was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers in early January. The team was hoping for a low-cost addition to the bullpen in Horn, who struggled in his first taste of the majors last season but had solid numbers in the minor leagues. The move simply did not work out as planned. In Horn's 2.1 innings this spring, the 27-year-old gave up three runs on three hits and five walks with only one strikeout. Command has always been an issue for the hard-throwing reliever, and those concerns were apparent in his limited time with the Cardinals.

Horn was removed from the 40-man roster and again designated for assignment when the Cardinals made their first major-league addition of the season when they signed Phil Maton and they needed to clear a spot for the new addition. The Tigers are clearly intrigued by Horn's potential, as they swooped in during the DFA period to bring him back to Detroit in a cash swap with the Cardinals. Horn has since been optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

Catching prospects helped ease Contreras' position change

Reports on former catcher Willson Contreras' position switch to first base have been positive. Beyond putting on 10-15 pounds of muscle, Contreras has looked comfortable and athletic at his new position. The switch was made in an effort to keep him healthy for a full season, as the wear and tear and injuries from the catcher position have limited his ability to stay in the lineup on a regular basis. When Contreras is healthy, he is one of the most productive hitters for a team that is seeking consistency from the middle of the order.

The position change also puts eyes on the future of the catching spot for the Cardinals, who are seeking a full-time replacement since Yadier Molina's departure after the 2022 season. This season, Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages are in a full-blown competition for the starting position, with each appearing ready for the spot, but John Mozeliak recently noted that beyond those two, other catching prospects making progress helped to make the decision. Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal are each mentioned as top 10 prospects in the organization, with Crooks receiving an honorable mention distinction for MLB.com's top 100 prospect list and being ranked #88 by Baseball Prospectus. Bernal, a switch-hitting 21-year-old, is competing with Crooks for the starting gig in Memphis but has shown steady progress in his professional career.

Top prospects perform during Spring Breakout

Top organization prospects including JJ Wetherholt, Thomas Saggese, Jimmy Brooks, Leonardo Bernal, and Quinn Mathews all participated in the Spring Breakout exhibition game against the Marlins on Friday. In total, 16 of the Cardinals' top 30 prospects were eligible to play in the showcase. The Cardinals prospects used a late-game rally to end the game in a 3-3 tie.

Chase Davis and JJ Wetherholt made solid contact in their first at-bats, with Wetherholt's lineout being clocked at 100.2 mph off the bat. Crooks worked an 8-pitch at-bat before chasing a slider out of the zone, but his plate coverage was on display. Quinn Mathews, who impressed in one start in major league camp before being re-assigned to the minors, started the game and had a perfect first inning. The lefty sat in the mid-90s with his fastball and showed decent feel of his secondary pitches, notching a strikeout on a nice changeup in his second inning. Mathews ran into trouble thanks to two walks, but Nathan Church made a perfect 99.7 mph throw from center to nab the runner at home to end the inning. Defense helped Mathews again in the third when Crooks threw out a would-be base stealer to end the third inning and close the book on Mathews' day. Mathews threw the first three innings, struck out three, and walked three but did not allow a run.

The offense struggled again through the first five innings before giving way to other prospects from the organization, but Bernal and 20th-ranked Cesar Prieto had decent showings. Bernal went hitless but scorched a 105.2 mph flyout in his second at-bat. Prieto went two for two with an infield single and a double. Thomas Saggese, who is currently in a battle in major league camp, notched one hit in his three at-bats.

Beyond Mathews, the other rated pitching prospects to pitch in the game were #6 prospect Cooper Hjerpe, 30th-ranked Luis Gastelum, and Zack Showalter, who is ranked 19th in the organization. With his quirky delivery, Hjerpe kept the Marlins off the board and struck out four hitters and walked two others in two innings of work. The long-haired Gastelum showed off his screwball-like changeup during his outing, striking out three batters with the disappearing off-speed pitch after allowing a lead-off walk. Showalter had a strong first inning striking out the first two hitters looking but ran into some trouble in the second, allowing two batters to reach before being replaced to end the game.