Cardinals Lose 12 Players to Free Agency, Impacting Organizational Depth
The St. Louis Cardinals have seen a drop in minor league depth as 12 players from their farm system have elected free agency.
According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the players leaving the organization are Drew Rom, Zack Weiss, Oddanier Mosqueda, Tyler Matzek, Jack Ralston, Zach Plesac, Aaron Wilkerson, Osvaldo Berrios, Curtis Taylor, Gavin Collins, Ricardo Velez, and Darlin Moquette.
Several of these players bring major league experience. Zach Plesac, a six-year MLB veteran, has appeared in 87 games with the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels, holding a career 4.31 ERA. Tyler Matzek has pitched in 175 games over seven seasons and played a key bullpen role in the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series run. Weiss owns a 4.61 ERA across 25 major league appearances, while Wilkerson has 14 games of big-league experience, most recently in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
While minor league free agency moves often go unnoticed, they can have significant implications for a team’s depth and flexibility. The Cardinals have faced concerns about their upper-level pitching depth, particularly when weighing decisions such as promoting Michael McGreevy to the majors.
For a franchise that may be heading toward a rebuild, maintaining strong depth in the minor leagues is crucial. These departures could affect St. Louis’ ability to respond to future trades or injuries. It will be worth watching how new executive Chaim Bloom approaches rebuilding this depth through offseason signings and minor league deals.
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