Cardinals' Juniel Querecuto: Minor-league deal with Cardinals
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The Cardinals signed Querecuto to a minor-league contract Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Querecuto has not appeared in an MLB game since 2016 and will now join the Cardinals at Triple-A Memphis. The second baseman played in 108 games with Triple-A Louisville last season as a member of the Reds organization, batting .256 with 11 homers, 34 RBI, 52 runs and 10 stolen bases over 398 at-bats.
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Cardinals' Taylor Motter: Signed by Cardinals
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The Cardinals signed Motter to a minor-league contract Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Motter spent about half of the 2022 campaign with the Reds organization, going 1-for-6 in two games on the major-league roster. The 33-year-old will now get a shot to prove himself with the Cardinals in 2023.
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Cardinals' Oscar Mercado: Signs with Cardinals
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The Cardinals signed Mercado to a minor-league contract Friday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Mercado will return to the team that drafted him back in 2013. The outfielder spent time with the Guardians and Phillies in 2022, producing a disappointing .207 average with four homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and two stolen bases in 121 at-bats over 55 games.
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Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt: Takes home NL MVP
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Goldschmidt was named the 2022 National League MVP on Thursday.
Goldschmidt -- a seven-time All-Star -- earned his first MVP award after mashing 35 home runs and tallying over 100 RBI and runs in a single season for the first time since 2017. Paired with strong plate discipline, he also managed a 177 wRC+ -- the highest mark in the National League and third-highest among all hitters. In total, Goldschmidt earned 380 points in voting, well out-pacing Manny Machado, who finished second with 291.
Cardinals' Chris Stratton: Agrees to one-year deal
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Stratton signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Cardinals on Thursday.
Stratton was traded from the Pirates to the Cardinals last season and will remain in St. Louis for at least one more year after reaching a new deal ahead of Friday's non-tender deadline. Over 60 appearances (one start) in 2022, he posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 63.1 innings.
Thomas was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster Tuesday.
The 24-year-old southpaw lacks upside (17.9 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A), but he is close to being ready to help the big-league club in some capacity. Thomas had a 5.47 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 135 innings across 28 appearances this past season.
The Cardinals reinstated VerHagen (hip) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
VerHagen underwent surgery on his right hip in early August and may not be fully healthy yet even though he's been added back to the 40-man roster, but he should be close to 100 percent by spring training. The right-hander will be entering the second season of the two-year, $5.5 million deal he inked with St. Louis last March and will be looking to bounce back after struggling in his limited opportunities before getting the season-ending hip procedure. He made 19 appearances out of the St. Louis bullpen in 2022, logging a 6.65 ERA and 1.89 WHIP across 21.2 innings.
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Cardinals' Alex Reyes: Added back to 40-man roster
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The Cardinals reinstated Reyes (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Though Reyes reclaims a spot on the 40-man roster with the transaction, his activation from the 60-day injured list doesn't necessarily indicate that he's made a full recovery from the right shoulder surgery he underwent in late May. The Cardinals haven't revealed a recovery timeline for Reyes, but there's a good chance he's limited in some capacity to begin spring training. If the 28-year-old bounces back from surgery as well as the Cardinals hope, he could re-emerge as a useful late-inning arm in 2023.
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Cardinals' Jose Fermin: Dealt to St. Louis
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The Cardinals acquired Fermin from the Guardians on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.
St. Louis immediately added Fermin to its 40-man roster, something the Guardians weren't likely to do this offseason. Since the 23-year-old would have been a candidate to get selected in the Rule 5 draft, the Guardians opted to deal him to St. Louis so as not to lose him for nothing. Fermin slashed .215/.336/.322 with six home runs and nine stolen bases across 330 plate appearances at Triple-A Columbus in 2022, and he'll likely stick around in the International League and join the Cardinals' top affiliate in Memphis to open the 2023 campaign.
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Cardinals' Moises Gomez: Joining 40-man roster
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The Cardinals will add Gomez to their 40-man roster this offseason, Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com reports.
Signed to a minor-league deal last winter after washing out with the Rays, Gomez showed a lot of promise in the minors during his first year in the St. Louis organization. Over his 501 plate appearances between Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield, Gomez slashed .294/.371/.624 with a franchise minor-league record 39 home runs. That immense power production put the 24-year-old back on the prospect radar, and it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals are choosing to protect him from December's Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster. Gomez is still likely to open the 2023 season at Triple-A, barring a big spring training in which he hits his way on to the Cardinals' Opening Day roster.
Cardinals' Kramer Robertson: Loses spot on 40-man roster
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The Cardinals outrighted Robertson to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The 28-year-old was sent to Memphis after he was claimed off waivers by St. Louis in early August, but he won't retain his spot on the 40-man roster through the offseason. Robertson played in only two big-league games during 2022 and had a .239/.393/.363 slash line with 11 home runs, 47 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 116 contests at Triple-A.
