9 Cardinals who should be playing their last games for St. Louis this weekend

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to finish their 2023 season with a homestand against the Cincinnati Reds this weekend. While the Cardinals are eliminated from postseason contention already, the Reds are still fighting for a playoff spot,

For Cardinals fans, the major storyline this weekend is the final series of Adam Wainwright's career. While he won't be taking the mound during this series, there will be plenty of celebrations for the Cardinal legend, and hopes that he can get one more at-bat before retiring.

As far as the rest of the team's performance, so many of their key contributors will be inactive for the final homestand. Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Tyler O'Neill, and Dylan Carlson have all played their final games of the 2023 season already, JoJo Romero, Giovanny Gallegos, and Steven Matz also won't throw a pitch this weekend. It's a really odd lineup that will be trouting out there each day.

When you look at the Cardinals roster this weekend, a ton of names will receive playing time that I am fairly confident will not be on the Cardinals' roster in 2024. There are a variety of names that may still be on the 40-man roster come Spring Training, but I've found at least 8 names that I would be shocked if they were back in St. Louis next year.

Most of these names are unlikely to be back due to performance, but there are a few other names that just do not fit into the Cardinals plans for one reason or another.

Let's look at 8 players who should be playing their final series for the Cardinals this weekend

Drew VerHagen

Drew VerHagen has been a serviceable reliever in 2024 for the Cardinals, and I actually wouldn't mind seeing him back in the bullpen in 2024.

He's appeared in 59 games, posting a 4-1 record with a 3.90 ERA and 59 S) in 60 G. VerHagen isn't a high leverage arm, but he is a solid middle innings guy who could provide length for the bullpen as well if needed. He also has some pretty nasty stuff at times, so if he gets more consistent with it, he could be relied on in bigger spots as well.

VerHagen is a free agent this offseason, and while I'm sure the Cardinals will call him, I know a lot of other teams will as well. My guess is we do not see VerHagen back in St. Louis next year.

Luken Baker

This is no slight against Luken Baker at all. He had an incredible season in Triple-A and is ready for consistent MLB at-bats, but I do not see how that happens in St. Louis.

Paul Goldschmidt plays most days at first base, and when he isn't starting there, it's typically Alec Burleson or even Brendan Donovan who are the next men up. At DH, Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and rest days for Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Goldschmidt will always trump Baker's opportunities.

In his small sample size of 77 at-bats, Baker is slashing .208/.299/.299 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. I really could see Baker being a solid 1B/DH bat next year and beyond, but if he's not going to get consistent playing time in St. Louis in 2024, he needs to be used as trade bait instead.

At 26 years old, he's not a young prospect anymore, and he isn't rated very highly among prospect rankings. But with the mammoth season he had in Triple-A, he will carry some value and could be a third or fourth piece in a deal for a starting pitcher or part of a trade for a bullpen arm.

Jacob Barnes

Outside of two really nice seasons with the Brewers in 2016 and 2018, Jacob Barnes has not been a good reliever during his big league career. He carries a 4.81 ERA in 263 games, and at 33 years old, I'm not sure there is much left to improve upon.

In 11 games for the Cardinals this year, he has a 7.15 ERA and 1.68 WHIP, which just will not get it done for St. Louis in 2024. The Cardinals have plenty of arms internally that I'd rather see out of the bullpen than Barnes, and I'm sure they will bring in a few relievers to add to that mix as well.

Barnes's presence on the roster has been fine for the second half, as they just need guys who can eat innings at times. But there is no reason to bring back Barnes for the 2024 season.

Jose Fermin

At just 24 years old, Jose Fermin could be a valuable depth piece for an organization still, I just don't see that being with the Cardinals in 2024.

Sure, maybe he can be in Triple-A and called up if multiple injuries happen, but outside of that, he won't get any opportunities in 2024. Masyn Winn, Tommy Edman, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Richie Palacios all rank above him on the depth chart, and guys like Thomas Saggese, Nick Dunn, and Irving Lopez surely would as well.

In 43 at-bats with St. Louis, Fermin has slashed just .209/.292/.209. which hasn't helped his case for more playing time. I'm sure its difficult to get into a rhythm when most games are spent on the bench, but he still needed to do more with his opportunities to carve out a bigger role.

Juniel Querecuto

While I could see Fermin back with the Cardinals in 2024 as a depth option on the 40-man roster, I struggle to see how Juniel Querecuto is not designated for an assignment in the next few months.

At 31 years old, this is his first taste of big-league action since 2016, when he got 1 hit in 4 games for the Tampa Bay Rays. In his 7 games with the Cardinals this year, he's slashing just .105/.105/.158 and isn't really a defensive whiz either. He's recently made a career for himself in minor league systems, so maybe that's his future again.

He could provide organizational depth for another club, but again, I don't see that being St. Louis in 2024.

Juan Yepez

Like Luken Baker, I think Juan Yepez has been dealt a tough hand in 2023 with his lack of opportunities and relegation to Triple-A for most of the year. He still has plenty of time to establish himself as a regular at the big-league level, but I don't see the Cardinals giving him that opportunity.

Yepez profiles best as a 1B/DH option long-term, but has shown the ability to play the corner outfield spots and third base as well. He had a really nice rookie campaign in 2022, posting a .743 OPS while hitting a huge home run in the Wild Card Series against the Phillies. In his limited opportunities with St. Louis this year though, he's seen that OPS drop to .528.

I believe there'll be a team that is interested in bringing in Yepez this offseason to help improve their offense in 2024. Since the Cardinals are not utilizing Yepez already, they may as well use him to acquire some of the pitching help that they need.

Adam Wainwright

Well, it's finally here. The final weekend for Adam Wainwright playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll forever be a Cardinals legend, is a soon to be Red Jacket member, and hopefully a Baseball Hall of Famer as well.

This year has been rough for Wainwright, posting a 5-11 record with a 7.40 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. He's been running on fumes for most of the season but was able to put on a vintage performance to get win number 200 in his final appearance as a starter.

He'll finish his career 200-128 with a 3.53 ERA in 2668.1 innings, just missing out on two Cy Young Awards but is more importantly a two-time World Series Champion.

Hopefully we get to see Wainwright at the plate this weekend and add one final hit to his resume.

Honorable mention: Tyler O'Neill

While he won't be suiting up for the Cardinals this weekend, I think it's important to acknowledge we've probably seen the last of Tyler O'Neill in a Cardinals uniform.

O'Neill was once again injury-prone in 2023, appearing in just 73 games, leaving his amazing 2021 season as the only year he played in over 100 games. His .715 OPS was only a slight improvement over his 2022 season, and even when he wasn't on the injured list, he sat out plenty of games when he "didn't feel right".

If O'Neill wasn't due for another pay raise in arbitration this year, maybe he'd be back. But I just do not see the Cardinals paying him upwards of $6 million when they have so many other needs to address and plenty of outfield options already.

I think it's safe to say the Cardinals roster will look vastly different come 2024, and each of the 9 players are likely not a part of that group.