The St. Louis Cardinals have had an interesting season. On one hand, they've exceeded expectations. I mean, how many people thought they'd be just 3.5 games back of a playoff spot in mid-August? On the other hand, though, John Mozeliak's reluctance to make any sort of sweeping changes has been frustrating.
Not trading Nolan Arenado was not entirely his fault, but it's impacted the playing time of some other young infielders Cardinals fans wanted to see on the field more than they have. Not making any major deadline moves other than parting with three relievers on expiring contracts was another frustrating development. The Cardinals didn't make much of an effort to get better or worse throughout the year, and have a middling team as a result.
Mozeliak has shied away from making any major moves, and while he can't do anything crazy given the fact that the deadline has passed, there's a good chance these three players won't be on their roster in September.
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3) Roddery Munoz, relief pitcher
The Cardinals gutted their bullpen when they traded Steven Matz, Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley away at the deadline, and now, most of the unit is unrecognizable. One noticeable trait this Cardinals bullpen has is that there's only one left-handed reliever, and that's JoJo Romero, the newly minted closer. The Cards need a second lefty, and that's where John King comes in.
King has not had a good year, but he was great for the Cardinals in 2024, and is left-handed. He's currently out with an oblique strain, but is expected to return sometime in August. When he's back, Roddery Munoz should be the reliever sent down.
Munoz has made 26 big league appearances in parts of two seasons and has a 6.53 ERA. He has a 6.52 ERA in eight appearances and 9.2 innings of work this season. He has good stuff and can eat innings, but doesn't locate well and can't be trusted in any sort of leverage situation. He's the clear eighth man in the bullpen, and should be sent down when King is ready to return.
2) Thomas Saggese, infielder
Cardinals fans wanted to see Thomas Saggese get consistent playing time at the big league level this season, but Arenado sticking around complicated that, and when he's gotten the chance to play, he hasn't done much to take advantage of those opportunities.
Saggese is slashing .241/.282/.336 with one home run and 10 RBI in 40 games overall for St. Louis this season. He's looked a bit better since his recent recall after the All-Star break, but his numbers still leave a lot to be desired.
It'd be nice to see him get extended run, but is that really going to happen? Arenado's injury has opened up some time for him to play right now, but he'll probably be back before September. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt is on the cusp of being big-league ready and will receive regular playing time if the Cardinals give him a chance in the majors this season.
If Saggese is going to be at the MLB level, the Cardinals will want him to play regularly. Given the bevy of infielders they have, odds are, consistent playing time won't come without an injury or two. With that in mind, Saggese getting sent down when Arenado comes back or Wetherholt gets called up feels likely.
1) Miles Mikolas, starting pitcher
Erick Fedde's struggles masked how poorly Miles Mikolas has pitched in what will likely be his final season in St. Louis. Now that Fedde is gone, Cardinals fans have come to fully realize that Mikolas is almost just as much of a disaster. If the Cardinals were willing to DFA Fedde, they should be willing to do the same with Mikolas.
Mikolas was once a serviceable mid-rotation arm for St. Louis and is even a two-time All-Star, but he was a disaster in 2024, and hasn't been much better in 2025. The right-hander has a 5.11 ERA in 22 starts and 111 innings of work. He takes the ball every fifth day and doesn't walk many, but the home run ball is a major issue and he doesn't strike many guys out.
At the end of the day, starting Mikolas every fifth day doesn't help the Cardinals organization in any way. The team has gone just 10-12 in his starts (50-47 whenever anyone else takes the ball), and Mikolas has especially folded against elite competition, so it's not as if he's helping them win now. Additionally, this 36-year-old on an expiring contract who almost certainly won't be back in 2026 is taking a rotation spot from a prospect like Quinn Mathews who deserves a look at this point.
I understand Mikolas has done great things in St. Louis, and it's never fun to eat money only to watch a player pitch for another team, but Mikolas isn't helping the Cardinals win now or build for the future. The Cardinals ought to replace him with someone who can help accomplish at least one of those goals.