5 St. Louis Cardinals players who won’t be on the roster next season

4) Drew VerHagen will not be on the Cardinals roster next season

Drew VerHagen is a pitcher the Cardinals were excited to sign to a two-year deal after a really successful stint in Japan. VerHagen, a pitcher known to induce a ton of groundballs, seemed like a good fit to pitch in front of what was a very good Cardinals infield defensively. Unfortunately, the deal hasn't been quite the steal as they had hoped.

The right-hander really struggled in 2022, posting a 6.65 ERA in 19 appearances and 21.2 innings pitched. They stuck with him despite his struggles last season and it did pay off as he had a better year this time around.

VerHagen has a 4.22 ERA in 53 appearances and 53.1 innings of work. He's done a much better job limiting baserunners and the longball, although a 1.350 WHIP for a reliever is higher than the Cardinals would want. VerHagen has had a pretty decent year serving as a middle reliever who often works in lower-leverage spots, but they can look to upgrade.

VerHagen is a free agent after this season and there's no need for the Cardinals to prioritize him. They'll presumably look for a better arm to work at the back end alongside their big arms of Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos.