How are former Cardinals performing in spring training with their new teams?

The St. Louis Cardinals did not see as much turnover as expected coming into the offseason, but there are plenty of former Cardinals who found new teams for the 2025 season. Colleague Thomas Gauvain had a recap of all of the old faces in new places, so now here's a look at how they have been performing and their roster status for their new teams.

How have former Cardinals performed with their new teams?

Jose Quintana - Brewers

Quintana was the most recent former Cardinal to sign, landing with the division rival Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year deal with a team option for 2026. Since he signed at the beginning of March, Quintana was a little behind the rest of the pitchers in camp, so he has had to build up to full strength. He has only pitched two innings thus far and struck out two batters while allowing one hit. Quintana is guaranteed a spot in the Brewers rotation, which has some question marks behind staff ace Freddy Peralta.

Jack Flaherty - Tigers

Former frontline starter and top prospect Jack Flaherty came back to Detroit after beginning the 2024 season with the Tigers. He was shipped to the Dodgers for the season's second half and entered free agency as a top player available. Flaherty's spring training results have been mixed in his 10 innings. So far, he has a 6.30 ERA with six walks and eight hits allowed, but he has also struck out 11 hitters. The righty will slot into the rotation behind AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

John Brebbia - Tigers

Brebbia last pitched for the Cardinals in 2019, and the big-bearded reliever has turned his past success into a quality major league career. After a few decent seasons in San Francisco, he went to the White Sox, where he struggled before getting rescued by the Braves. Now, Brebbia joins Flaherty in Detroit, where he will be a middle relief option for the Tigers. Brebbia has thrown 6.1 innings this spring and has seen some command issues pop up but has remained effective in his role.

Harrison Bader - Twins

Harrison Bader was a fan favorite in St. Louis but was eventually shipped to New York during the 2022 season. He has bounced around a few organizations since then and signed with the Minnesota Twins this offseason. With Byron Buxton facing injury concerns, Bader saw an opportunity for playing time in Minnesota. Bader has taken advantage of an extended spring training run, hitting .313 with two doubles, a homer, two stolen bases, and more walks than strikeouts in 32 at-bats. Earlier in the offseason, the Twins announced they plan to give Bader a decent amount of time in left field in part of a platoon with Trevor Larnach, with the potential to fill in across the outfield for injured or poorly performing players.

Paul DeJong - Nationals

DeJong signed with Washington after spending the previous two seasons with five different teams, usually filling in a depth role or supplying power off the bench. DeJong, who hit 24 homers last year between the White Sox and Royals, was signed by the Nationals to create more competition for Jose Tena at third base. DeJong put the pressure on the youngster and now looks to be the frontrunner for the opening day start at third after hitting .257 with two homers, eight RBIs, and seven walks in 14 spring games.

Shelby Miller - Diamondbacks

The former first-round pick has struggled to find a consistent home in the majors after the Cardinals cut bait with Miller after the 2014 season. He has made regular season appearances with eight other organizations and is now on his second stint with the Diamondbacks after transitioning to a bullpen role full time. Miller was brought back to Arizona as a non-roster invitee and has done enough this spring to warrant consideration in the D'Backs bullpen. In 5.1 innings, Miller has struck out seven batters and, more encouragingly, has not allowed a walk in his five appearances.

Paul Goldschmidt - Yankees

The biggest name to leave the Cardinals this year, Paul Goldschmidt is looking for a major bounceback season after signing a $12.5 million deal with the Yankees. The former NL MVP has performed well in the pinstripes, hitting .313 with three homers but has continued his concerning strikeout trend, going down on strikes 10 times in 32 at-bats. Goldy is expected to fill in the middle of the order and provide his Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base.

Andrew Kittredge - Orioles

Andrew Kittredge was used and abused in St. Louis last season, taking the ball 73 times and tallying 37 holds in 2024. The Cardinals knew they would not have Kittredge's services again for 2025 and allowed him to find a new organization, which resulted in a one-year deal with the Orioles. Baltimore only got one spring training inning out of Kittredge before knee pain necessitated surgery, leaving the Orioles without him for the next few months.

Tyler O'Neill - Orioles

The oft-injured outfielder missed a few days during the spring due to a sore rib cage but has bounced back well with Baltimore. He has only played in nine games and is hitting .348 with two doubles and a homer. When healthy, O'Neill will fill in the middle of the order and play in left field. He will occasionally fill in at DH, but the Orioles have plenty of other bat-first options who will fill that spot.