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

Packy Naughton and James Naile

Packy Naughton being waived over James Naile and others on the 40-man roster caught me off guard. He's working his way back from an injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season, but he seemed to be catching the eyes of the Cardinals in 2023, so I assumed he'd be in play during Spring Training for a bullpen spot.

Maybe the Cardinals saw Zack Thompson, JoJo Romero, and John King as those main left-handed options for 2024, and since they plan on adding more arms to that mix, Naughton's role was less clear. Still, there are at least six other names I would have removed from the roster before him.

So yes, Naughton has already been taken off the 40-man roster, but at the moment, he's now a technical member of the Memphis Redbirds. He very well could be non-tendered in the coming weeks, or elect free agency and be able to find a spot with another club.

In the case of James Naile, he does remain on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, but I don't see that lasting much longer. He had a 5.00 ERA in 7 games in 2022 and an 8.80 ERA in 10 games in 2023, never really showing anything that proves to me he belongs in St. Louis, even as a depth piece. I honestly don't understand why he would have any role with the Cardinals in 2024. It was fine to have him fill innings when games did not matter down the stretch, but he should not be pitching for a contender, even in a pinch.

We'll cover this in the coming weeks, but the Cardinals have a lot of interesting prospects in the system who could factor in as bullpen pieces in 2024, and I would much rather see one of the young guys get that 40-man spot over Naile.

Again, the Cardinals will have to remove some names to add starting pitchers, so I assume Naile is one of the next names on the chopping block when they sign or trade for pitching. That remains to be seen though.

Michael Siani and Jose Fermin

Two more names I really don't understand having on the 40-man roster are Michael Siani and and Jose Fermin.

The best argument for Fermin would be that beyond Masyn Winn and Tommy Edman, the Cardinals' depth at shortstop is razor-thin at the moment. Thomas Saggese is the next guy up, but that's a lot of pressure to put on the guy, and he would profile better defensively at third base or second base.

Fermin did not do anything in 2023 to warrant consideration for the roster in 2024. In 21 games, Fermin slashed .235/.339/.255 with one double and four RBI on the season. There's not much of a ceiling here, and I think the Cardinals would be better off letting Saggese rise to the occasion or bringing in a veteran backup infielder who can handle shortstop.

Siani is an odd one to me as well. The Cardinals claimed him from the Reds during the 2023 season, and Siani went hitless in his five plate appearances with St. Louis. His major appeal is his defensive ability in center field, providing depth for the Cardinals organizationally.

Honestly, though, I think they are fine with what they have. Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, and Richie Palacios can all man center field as needed at the moment, and Victor Scott II is knocking at the door of St. Louis as well. Even if a bunch of injuries happen, I don't really see a world where Siani has a role with the club.

And that's the thing. I could see a world where Naughton or Rodriguez had roles with St. Louis in 2024, so why not keep names like that?

Instead, Siani and Fermin remain on the 40-man roster, but that could change at any moment.

Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford

Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford are two starting pitchers who have had multiple shots in St. Louis to make a name for themselves but have really run their course with the organization.

I wrote recently that both guys should be non-tendered, along with a few other Cardinals, as their salary number is just far too high for what anyone should expect from them in 2024.

Hudson is due approximately $3.7 million in arbitration in 2024 (according to MLB Trade Rumors' projections), and that's money that can be easily saved by non-tendering Hudson and removing him from the 40-man roster. Hudson posted a 4.98 ERA in St. Louis this year in 81.1 innings, and it's just been a downhill slide for him for years now.

There were concerns with Hudson, even when things were going well, that his underlying metrics, high walk rate, and low strikeout rate would come back to bite him at some point, and in recent years, it has. It's time for the Cardinals to move on from Hudson, especially if that means they can free up money in the process.

As for Woodford, his number is lower than Hudson's at $1.1 million, but his 6.23 ERA and 6.61 FIP do not scream bounce-back candidate to me. He's just seemed overmatched by big-league hitting, and maybe a change of scenery would do him some good.

With Kloffenstein and Robberse added to the roster, as well as names like Zack Thompson, Matthew Liberatore, and Drew Rom already present on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals have plenty of depth options for the rotation. Save the salary on Hudson and Woodford by non-tendering them soon.

Andrew Knizner or Ivan Herrera

Here's an interesting one. The Cardinals did not need to add Pedro Pages to their 40-man roster, but now that they have, they are currently carrying four catchers there, something they don't typically do.

I've pointed to Andrew Knizner as a non-tender candidate this offseason, as the Cardinals could save a little over $2 million and allow Ivan Herrera to take over that role. Knizner was solid for stretches in 2023, but overall, he's just a solid backup catcher.

Knizner is loved within the clubhouse though, so I'm not sure the Cardinals will make the hard decision to part ways with him soon. Don't get me wrong, he really is a solid backup, but he's not good enough to block Herrera any longer.

Herrera had an excellent 2023 season, slashing .297/.409/.351 in his 44 plate appearances for St. Louis. He also mashed for Triple-A Memphis, posting a .951 OPS in 83 games. Herrera has been a promising prospect within the Cardinals system for a while now, and there's really no reason to make him spend any more time in the minor leagues.

The Cardinals also need to think long-term here. They are committing to Willson Contreras as their catcher in 2024, but it's still a very real possibility that he begins to DH more and more in the coming years, and with Knizner arbitration eligible now, it makes a lot of sense to turn the reigns to the up-and-coming Herrera.

Even with Contreras being the primary catcher, there are still plenty of starts at catcher to go around, so I'd much rather have Herrera taking those than Knizner. Gone are the days when Yadier Molina would catch almost every game and the backup catcher would hope to play once a week. Herrera would likely start 2-3 times a week, giving him plenty of opportunity to shine.

If the Cardinals choose to keep Knizner, they do not have to get rid of Herrera as he has one more option left, but I do think it could mean they are open to moving him in a deal for pitching. I'd keep Herrera, but we'll see what the Cardinals do.