3 Cardinals stealing money from the team thanks to bad contracts

3. Drew VerHagen might not even make the Cardinals’ roster

Drew VerHagen signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals which guaranteed him $5.5 million. VerHagen went to Japan and pitched well in 2020 and 2021 before signing with the Cardinals before the 2022 season. He went to Japan after a rocky six-year tenure with Detroit that saw him post an ERA over 5.00.

VerHagen had some success pitching in Japan which earned him the contract he got, but he’s had virtually no success in the MLB, so guaranteeing two years seemed a bit optimistic on their end.

Surely enough, VerHagen struggled mightily for the Cardinals last season. He had a 6.65 ERA in 19 appearances and 21.2 innings pitched. He walked 14 batters in those innings while striking out just 18. He also allowed five home runs, which is a very high number in such a small sample.

VerHagen making $3 million this season means he’ll probably get an Opening Day roster spot, but the chances of him staying the entire season in the majors with someone who I’d argue is much better like Jake Woodford sticking in the minors seems unlikely for a team trying to win games.

$3 million won’t destroy the Cardinals by any means, but it’s money that could’ve been allocated toward a different reliever. It’s a bad contract even taking into account how cheap it is.