5 St. Louis Cardinals who don’t deserve to make the 40-man roster
By Tim Boyle
These five St. Louis Cardinals players don’t deserve their current spot on the 40-man roster.
Every MLB team has at least a few players on the 40-man roster undeserving of their place. The St. Louis Cardinals are no exception.
Unfortunately, contractual obligations and other MLB rules may prevent teams from doing something about it. Taking those out of the equation, there are certain members of the Cardinals who don’t deserve their spot among the 40.
It’s these five who don’t offer the team enough. If the money was no object and the team could stash them in the minor leagues without penalty, the Cardinals probably wouldn’t mind removing these players from the 40-man roster.
Why Steven Matz doesn’t deserve a Cardinals 40-man roster spot
Is it too soon to dislike the Steven Matz signing from last winter? Not at all. He has become more of a burden to the staff Signed for three more years including 2023, it already feels like the Cardinals may regret this addition.
Matz was injured for a good portion of 2022 but when he was healthy he didn’t pitch effectively. In 10 starts and 5 relief appearances, Matz went 5-3 with a 5.25 ERA. He gave them only 48 innings in what might be only the beginning of a questionable tenure.
Matz has been up and down throughout his career. Now the owner of a lifetime 4.30 ERA, the Cardinals bought high on him after a strong season with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. He looks more like the inconsistent pitcher he was for six seasons with the New York Mets.
This season may be the last one the Cardinals give him to start games. Otherwise, expect to see him as a long-man out of the bullpen very soon.