Cardinals' 40-man roster moves may signal the end of the road for these 10 players

The St. Louis Cardinals made multiple 40-man roster moves over the last week, adding Adam Kloffenstein, Sem Robberse, and Pedro Pages to the roster while outrighting Packy Naughton to Triple-A, designating Connor Thomas for an assignment, and also outrighing Wilking Rodriguez, although he has already elected free agency.

The Cardinals once again have a full 40-man roster, which ensures one thing: there are more players who will be removed from the 40-man in the coming months.

The Cardinals are adding at least two starting pitchers to the mix this offseason but there could be as many as three starters and two relievers by the time Spring Training comes around. Some roster spots may open up due to trades that happen involving higher-level names on the Cardinals' 40-man, but there are at least 10 different players who I think are at risk of being removed from that group in the coming weeks and months.

Juan Yepez and Moises Gomez

Let's start with the corner outfielders. Both Juan Yepez and Moises Gomez deserve shots on a Major League roster.

Yepez had a solid rookie year with the Cardinals and a clutch home run during Game One of the Wild Card Series in 2022 but has clearly fallen on the Cardinals' depth chart in the last 365 days. There's not really a spot for him on the Cardinals' 26-man roster, so I think it would be wise to try and move Yepez for whatever value he still had and allow him to play for a team that with utilize him.

In all honesty, the Cardinals made a big mistake not doing that this past offseason. It became pretty clear early in Spring Training that Yepez's role with the Cardinals just was not there anymore, so keeping him for 2023 rather than capitalizing on his value made no sense.

Gomez mashes the baseball, but like Yepez, I don't see a role for him in St. Louis in 2024 or beyond. Neither guy is really known for their defensive ability, but given playing time elsewhere, their bats may carve a role out for them long-term with another organization.

I don't expect that to be the Cardinals, and I think at least one of them will be gone by the end of the offseason.