3 Cardinals players who could lose their 40-man roster spots

These Cardinals are at risk of losing their spots on the 40-man roster

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the deepest teams in recent history. With many position battles during Spring Training, plenty of candidates are in jeopardy of losing their spot on the 40-man rotation, with the first causality being Freddy Pacheco earlier this week.

The 17 players representing various countries at the World Baseball Classic is a huge sign that the Cardinals are one of the deepest organizations and one of the most successful in all of baseball.

With the first round of cuts coming at Spring Training, the roster moves in the coming weeks will tell you a lot about where the Cardinals view certain players and what their futures may be in St. Louis.

Spring training is always important for players on the outside looking in at an opening-day roster spot, but with a team like St. Louis, spring performances weigh even more than a team with no postseason aspirations.

1. Jake Walsh

Jake Walsh has just three major league appearances in his career, and they all came last season as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2.2 innings of work, he has allowed three hits and four earned runs.

He was a 16th-round pick by the Cardinals in 2017 out of Florida Southern College, an NCAA DII school in Florida. He spent the majority of the 2022 season at AAA Memphis, where he notched a 1.17 ERA.

Walsh was one of the first spring training invitees that were assigned to minor league camp and could be in danger of losing out on his 40-man roster spot. He saw action in three spring training games this year, allowing two earned runs and a home run in 2.1 innings.

Walsh could fall victim to some electric young arms climbing through the Cardinals' minor league ranks. With Tink Hence, Gordon Graceffo, and Michael McGreevy all pushing toward the majors, the 27-year-old could lose out on a high-profile spot on the 40-man roster.

2. Jose Fermin

Jose Fermin, along with Walsh, was assigned to minor league camp by the Cardinals on Saturday. Fermin is in a tough position, with Maysn Winn putting on a show in spring training, Fermin could be on his way off the 40-man roster sooner than later.

The 23-year-old has spent the last six seasons in the Cleveland Guardians organization, making it all the way to AAA last season, where he hit .215 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.

Fermin was signed as infield depth for the Cardinals with questions about Paul DeJong's ability to bounce back. Since he is currently on the 40-man, he is on the shortlist to be called up if something happens to one of the Cardinals' infielders.

The emergence of Winn puts Fermin's spot in question. St. Louis had no concerns about Winn's ability to field the shortstop position or his athleticism or arm strength. Their questions lay with his ability to hit, which is something Winn has done a lot of this season.

If we see Maysn Winn in the majors this season, the Cardinals will likely have to make a roster move. The most realistic scenario is removing a middle infielder from the 40-man roster in exchange for another. Leaving Fermin on the chopping block.