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.

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.

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.