5 Cardinals who could be waived before today's deadline

With the trade deadline already passed, the ways in which teams can remove players from their rosters is limited. No trades are allowed at this point in the season, but teams can still waive players, thus making them available for other teams to pick up.

There are a few benefits and hurdles to waiving a player or two (or three). First, the team that cuts the player could be free of the remaining 1/6th of the salary or so. For this to happen, another team has to sign that player. Additionally, the team that cuts the player opens up a roster spot for a young prospect to see major league time. The waived player must join another team's active roster by September 1st to be eligible to be on the postseason roster.

Last year, the Los Angeles Angels cut an unprecedented amount of players prior to the deadline. Lucas Giolito, Randal Grichuk, Matt Moore, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dominic Leone were all waived and became available for opposing teams to sign.

On August 28th of this year, the San Francisco Giants made some major cuts as well. Taylor Rogers, Tyler Matzek, and Thairo Estrada were all placed on waivers. These moves will save the team millions of dollars down the stretch.

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't close to the luxury tax threshold, so they don't have to worry about the financial penalties associated with surpassing that mark. Waiving players will simply save the organization some money this year while clearing space for young players like Jordan Walker, Michael McGreevy, and Gordon Graceffo, among others, to see major league innings in the month of September.

The Cardinals have already started this process when they granted Brandon Crawford his outright release a couple of weeks ago and waived relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong. Armstrong, whom the Cardinals acquired at the trade deadline for Dylan Carlson, will likely be picked up by a playoff team. Crawford probably won't be. More players are likely to be waived in the coming days if the Cardinals are out of the playoff race.

These 5 players could be waived by the Cardinals.

OF Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham has been a journeyman for the last seven years. After starting his career with the Cardinals, Pham has spent time in Tampa Bay, San Diego, Cincinnati, Boston, New York, Arizona, and Chicago. His journey has come full circle now, as the Cardinals re-acquired him at this year's trade deadline to be a platoon bat against left-handed pitchers.

Pham started off quite hot with the Cardinals; in his first eight games with the team, Pham slashed .379/.400/.759 with two home runs, three doubles, a triple, and nine runs batted in. Since then, Pham has been ice cold. Over his next 15 games, Pham would slash .077/.213/.077 with 15 strikeouts and no extra-base hits. It's clear the magic has worn off for the veteran outfielder.

If the goal was to see Pham mash left-handed pitchers, he hasn't achieved that goal for the bulk of his St. Louis reunion. His personality may be a positive factor in the clubhouse, but that clubhouse effect hasn't translated to the win-loss column yet. It's clear that Tommy Pham isn't able to produce the way the organization would like him to.

If the Cardinals waive Pham, they'll be free of the remaining $700,000 or so that's attached to him. Waiving the veteran outfielder will also free up a roster spot for someone like Michael Siani who is slated to return from injury in the coming weeks. In the interim, perhaps Jordan Walker could have a third try at the majors. Hopefully, he's given full reign of the corner outfield, and he can see consistent at-bats.

INF Matt Carpenter

Matt Carpenter's on-field performance hasn't been the strongest this year. Where has provided value has been on the bench and in the clubhouse. In fact, Cardinal fans can thank Marp for the offensive surge we've seen out of Alec Burleson all year. Carpenter is a leader for this team, but his time could be running out quickly.

Carp is slashing .234/.317/.371 this year for an OPS of .688 and an OPS+ of 92. Those are actually serviceable numbers for a bench bat. He's seen 143 plate appearances this year, and he has four home runs, five doubles, and 15 runs batted in. Carpenter has actually been a decent 26th-man. The issue is that the Cardinals could use more than that if they still have playoff aspirations, however bleak those may be at this point.

The Cardinals signed Matt Carpenter to a deal for the league minimum, $740,000. Therefore, cutting him saves the team slightly more than $100K at this point in the year. Is that even worth it? Clearly the players and coaches lean on Marp, and his off-field effect has been quite positive. Perhaps keeping him on the roster and cutting bait with Pham, another position player, would be sufficient.

This is also likely Matt Carpenter's final season as a professional baseball player. He's 38, his last few seasons have been below average, and his defensive versatility is fading. Carpenter has had a fantastic career, and going out with the team that originally drafted him 15 years ago would make for a wonderful conclusion to a St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame-worthy career.

RHP Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson was another veteran starting pitcher signed by the Cardinals this past offseason. The hope was that Gibson, Lynn, and Sonny Gray would provide enough solid innings that a revamped bullpen and potentially potent offense could help the team win those games. For a time, this plan worked quite well.

Through July, Gibson had thrown 113.1 innings with a 3.97 ERA and 102 strikeouts across 20 starts. Those are numbers that most teams would be happy to see from a mid-rotation starting pitcher. In fact, Gibson, Gray, and Andre Pallante formed a strong top of the rotation up to that point. August has been quite a different story for the 36-year-old, however.

Gibson has thrown 27.1 innings in five starts in the month of August, and he has a 6.91 ERA during that time. Batters are hitting .302 against him, and they have a .918 OPS. He's given up six home runs, and those long balls have been the main reason for his downfall.

The Cardinals signed Gibson to a one-year, $13 million deal this past offseason with a club option for 2025. If the Cardinals were to waive him, they would save approximately $2 million. Gibson's August has made him a less attractive pitcher for playoff teams, but he could still help a team down the stretch. It's possible someone like the Baltimore Orioles, an organization he's familiar with, will take him to fill in some missing rotation spots.

Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo, or Zack Thompson could backfill Gibson's spot in the rotation. At least one of those three pitchers will be fighting for a rotation spot next year, so giving someone a head start this year will help.

RHP Andrew Kittredge

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired right-handed pitcher Andrew Kittredge from the Tampa Bay Rays for utility player Richie Palacios during the offseason. Kittredge is in his second year since having Tommy John Surgery, and he's been strong late in games for the Redbirds. Kittredge is a free agent after this season like the others on this list.

This year, Andrew Kittredge has a 2-4 record with a 3.25 ERA, 1.193 WHIP, and a 4.31 FIP. He's thrown 55.1 innings in 59 appearances, and he's struck out 51 batters. Kittredge has the second-most holds in all of Major League Baseball with 31. He's had a very successful 2024 season, and he's shown that he has fully recovered from his surgery a few years ago.

Kittredge and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract worth $2,630,000 through arbitration this year. He's not pricey, and there's a high chance that the Cardinals look to sign him this offseason to a multi-year deal to remain in the bullpen for 2025 and beyond. However, cutting Kittredge will allow him to join a playoff team for the final month of the season. If the Cardinals waive him, they'll save about $400,000, a paltry total.

Waiving Andrew Kittredge may leave a bad taste in his mouth as he enters free agency this offseason. It's not likely the Cardinals do waive Kitt, for he's been strong in the bullpen this year. Should the Cardinals waive the veteran reliever, a minor league pitcher -- either a starter or current reliever -- would slot in for him.