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

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.