3 Cardinals who are playing themselves off the 2024 roster

Andre Pallante

One of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season for St. Louis, Andre Pallante became the club's Swiss army knife, starting some games, being a long relief man in others, and eventually setting into a high-leverage, groundball specialist for the club. He posted a 3.17 ERA in 108 innings for the Cardinals and was expected to be a key contributor this season.

It just has not worked out like that in 2023.

Pallante has pitched 45 innings for St. Louis with a 4.60 ERA. There is an arguement that Pallante has been getting unlucky this year, as his strikeouts per nine and groundball percentage are actually both up this year, and both his xERA and xFIP are right in line with what they were last year. Unfortunately, he's been bitten by the home run ball this year, seeing his HR/FB rate increase from 15.3% to 26.7%.

Do I think Pallante is going to be gone from the Cardinals' organization next year? No. He will still be in the mix for a bullpen spot next season. But with so many arms vying for spots currently, and the Cardinals likely adding a few more to the mix this offseason, it will be very difficult for Pallante to maintain his spot if he does not improve his play down the stretch.

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