3 former Cardinals that are failing with their new teams

There has been plenty of ex-Cardinals that are thriving with their new clubs, but not all of them have had that same fortune.

With the Cardinals contending for division titles and championships in the last couple of decades, it has led to the Cardinals having to let go of certain players to help the team fill immediate needs. Also, with the Cardinals' successful development of prospects, it has forced them to either trade or let guys go to give those younger players the opportunity to get playing time in the big leagues.

Some of the players the Cardinals have let go of over the years have blossomed into perennial All-Stars, guys like Randy Arozarena, Sandy Alcantara, and Zac Gallen. What makes these three stand out is not just their great play but the fact that the Cardinals did not get the same level of success in return. But not every single player has turned out that way.

Often times, the players that the Cardinals let go of tend to be the right calls. Sometimes they let prospects go who end up not becoming contributors for other organzations as well. Sometimes they let go of a peaking player and their down years of their careers are spent somewhere else. And sometimes, we may think in the moment the Cardinals are giving up on a player who will be really good, and they just prove us wrong. Call it good discernment or luck, but it happens more often than you'd think.

Here are three examples of Cardinals who have not found success with their new clubs.

Johan Oviedo

Oviedo was the main piece going to Pittsburgh when the Cardinals acquired pitchers Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton at the trade deadline last season.

He showed some promise with the Cardinals as he was one of several rookies that pitched for St.Louis in the COVID shortened 2020 season. The experiment of trying him as a starter did not go well, in 18 starts total in '20 and '21 he did not record a win. Partially because he struggled with giving up runs (5.08 ERA in 18 starts), and he struggled with throwing strikes (49 walks in 87 innings) it was difficult for Oviedo to get through 5 innings which qualifies you for a win because he could not record quick outs.

Last season Oviedo was put in the bullpen when he was recalled from the minors and his numbers were improved. He would get his first career win, his walks were down and strikeouts were up, more than one per inning before he was traded to Pittsburgh.

When Oviedo got to the Pirates they put him back in the rotation and he was solid in a handful of starts last year. This season however he has gotten off to a slow start. In 9 starts he has a 4.69 ERA which is the highest ERA currently in the Pirates rotation, and he has given up 51 hits in 48 innings. The season is still young so Oviedo should get more chances to turn things around, but he is only 25 years old, and he obviously still has some developing to do. With Quintana no longer a Cardinal their main piece in that trade is gone. Oviedo can decide ultimately who benefits the most from this in-division trade.

Austin Gomber

This one honestly does not surprise me as much. Like I was saying about hitting in Seattle, it is very difficult to pitch in Colorado, only a handful of pitchers have ever really tamed the beast of Coors Field. Gomber was the Cardinals 4th round pick in the 2014 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2018 pitching in the rotation and bullpen. He was the only major league player that went back to Colorado in the Nolan Arenado trade after having a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings with St.Louis in 2020.

Gomber joined the Rockies rotation in 2021 and had a 4.53 ERA in 23 starts which isn't terrible for a Rockies pitcher. In fact that season he pitched better in Coors as he had a 2.09 ERA. That success however did not carry on with him, he struggled in 2022 and was ultimately removed from the rotation in the middle of the season. And so far in 2023, those struggles continue to mount, as he has a 6.70 ERA after 9 starts. And back to his splits at Coors Field, Gomber has an 8.75 ERA at home, it has been a difficult stretch for him.

Whether or not Gomber can turn things around is unknown, but looking at the other players the Rockies acquired for Arenado doesn't look promising for them. Elehuris Montero might turn out to be a quality hitter for them, but so far the other prospects have not done anything for them. Even if Gomber starts to pitch better it may not matter all that much when you're referring to who benefited the most from this trade. With Nolan Arenado now officially under contract and staying in St. Louis for a long time, this was a disaster for the Rockies, and Gomber struggling just adds insult to injury.