3 Cardinals players who will not be on the roster after the 2024 trade deadline

Change is coming, and these players are the obvious choices to go.

St. Louis Cardinals v Houston Astros
St. Louis Cardinals v Houston Astros | Logan Riely/GettyImages
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2. Steven Matz

Matz was a hefty investment from John Mozeliak given his extensive injury history and short amount of pitching success. With much hype built around him in New York as a part of the Mets' upcoming pitching tandem in 2015, he never amounted to the expectations. He had a good year in Toronto which became his platform year before hitting free agency leading to a four-year, $44 million dollar contract in St. Louis in 2022.

Since inking his deal, he has been worth only 1 WAR in three seasons and is still under contract until 2026. He is a failed starter in St. Louis which was the whole reason why he was signed. Expect Matz to be in the trade package when the team is shopping for their new fifth starter.

3. Brandon Crawford

A veteran presence in the clubhouse is always a plus for contending teams. The problem in St. Louis is that the clubhouse is overloaded with veterans and the team is not contending. Too much talent is on this roster to not be above .500 in the month of June. Veterans Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are performing well and as expected by the front office. Matt Carpenter looks like the Matt Carpenter Cardinals fans last knew from 2021: washed.

As for Brandon Crawford, why is he still on this roster??? His only value added to the team is being the clubhouse DJ. The Texas Rangers won a World Series by queuing up Creed which takes two seconds to search on Sportify. Sportify cost in 2024: $144/year. Brandon Crawford cost in 2024 taking up a roster spot which can go to Jose Fermin or someone acquired at the deadline: $2,000,000.

Enjoy retirement, DJ Crawford.

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