5 STL Cardinals Spring Training invitees who won’t make MLB roster

Andrew Suarez is looking to play regularly for first time since 2020 season

Suarez was last a relief pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization in the 2020 season. This winter, he was signed to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training this season in hopes of impressing to get a job for the summer and beyond.

Suarez, 30, will likely get plenty of opportunity to throw this spring, but with so much talent in the Cardinals system, he will likely get a shot at being a reliever in the minors. It will be incredible if he makes it to St. Louis, passing some pretty talented young arms. But having major-league experience in the minor league system could be an asset for the youngsters he will interact with this summer.

While Suarez hasn’t been an active player for some time, it will be interesting to see what all he can accomplish this season.

Kodi Whitley’s struggles should keep him in the minors

Whitley struggled mightly last season, even getting demoted to Memphis. After he was outrighted to Memphis after the season, the organization may be looking to trust other options for the bullpen.

Whitley pitched 12.2 innings over 14 games in 2022. He had a 5.63 ERA, giving up eight earned runs, two homers, nine walks, and two instances of hitting a batter by pitch. This is not what you want from a relief pitcher.

Whitley will have to be impressive to pull himself out of the struggles he had in 2022. The 2024 season will be his first arbitration eligible season. He could risk being released or non-tendered a contract if he doesn’t make great strides to improve. The team has an unbelievable amount of young pitchers that could see more of an opportunity to join the bullpen over him. Whitley has a very important Spring Training ahead of him.