6 Cardinals players who made the Opening Day roster but won't finish on it

Right-handed pitcher Chris Stratton

To Chris Stratton's credit, he has actually looked decent so far this year. In three appearances and four innings of work, the 32-year-old has a 2.25 ERA with only three hits allowed.

However, past numbers have shown enough to suggest that a significant regression is in his future. His Cardinals career has gone well so far (150 ERA+ in 23 games), but he is not far removed from a 5.09 ERA in 40 appearances for the Pirates in the first half of last year.

Stratton has long been a mediocre pitcher in the big leagues, spending the majority of his time on uninspiring Giants, Angels, and Pirates teams. He is best suited for clubs of that stature, rather than a Cardinals team who is legitimately in the middle of their respective contention window.

With the presence of younger and, frankly - better - arms in the minor leagues for the Cardinals, Stratton feels like a DFA candidate before a month or two go by in the regular season. Matthew Liberatore is ready for consistent playing time in the big leagues while other 40-man roster options for this long relief/mop-up role include JoJo Romero, Jake Walsh, and Guillermo Zuniga.