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.

RHP Lance Lynn

What complicates Lynn's situation is that he's returning from injury at the moment. The Cardinals seem intent on giving him run in the rotation one last time, and he is scheduled for a rehab start this weekend. These factors, along with Lynn's veteran leadership and potential to retire with the team he started with, make him an unlikely waiver candidate.

Lance Lynn has a 4.06 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.364 WHIP, and he's striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings this year; he's made 21 starts and has thrown 106.1 innings in all. He's had some starts that have gotten out of hand, but his fiery personality has been welcome in the rotation and clubhouse this year.

Lynn's greatest struggle this year has been with walks. He's walking 3.5 batters per nine innings, close to a career-high for him. Should the Cardinals make the playoffs this year, Lynn will likely be relegated to a bullpen role unless the team makes it past the first round.

Lance Lynn has had a great career so far, but his price tag and underperformance this year make him a viable candidate to be waived. The team can save around $1.5 million, and his absence opens up a spot for a Triple-A pitcher to see some time before the end of the year.

Lynn signed for $10 million this offseason, and he has a 4.06 ERA in 106.1 innings this year. The Cardinals and Lance Lynn could decide mutually that the 37-year-old veteran is deserving of a chance to pitch in the playoffs once more. If that's the case, Lynn could be waived this weekend.

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.