The Cardinals lost two contributors to their 2016 club on Friday.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ front office is faced with creating a rather significant amount of 40-man roster space this offseason, as the team only has a few free agents who are expected to depart, while they’ll have to add several prospects to the 40-man in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. That harvesting process reared its ugly head on Friday, as the Cardinals lost two players who contributed to the big-league club in 2016–lefthanded pitcherDean Kiekheferand outfielderJeremy Hazelbaker–as other clubs claimed them on waivers.
Kiekhefer was the first player to be snatched up, as the Seattle Mariners announced during the early afternoon that they had acquired him. The 27-year-old lefty made his major-league debut in 2016, throwing for a 5.32 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and .273 opponent batting average in 22 innings spanning 26 games. His numbers were much better against lefties, though, as he held them to a .209 average and 1.06 WHIP in 46 plate appearances.
It’s worth noting that pitchers like Kiekhefer (assuming he doesn’t become more effective against righthanded hitters) could be made obsolete this offseason as MLB works on a new CBA. A new rule, designed to cut down on excessive pitching changes, has been discussed that would force each pitcher to face at least two (or maybe even more) batters. That would allow managers the opportunity to write lineups with rotating lefthanded and righthanded hitters, which would eliminate any advantage created by bringing in a pure lefty specialist.
Still, though, it was a bit surprising to see Kiekhefer removed from the 40-man roster during an offseason where the Cardinals will be trying to replace leftyZach Duke, who underwentTommy Johnsurgery last month and will miss all of 2017. Though GM John Mozeliak has recently made it a point to state that the Cards can’t expect leftyTyler Lyonsto be healthy next season, they obviously have some level of faith that he’ll be able to rebound from a knee injury and fill Duke’s role in the ‘pen for the 2017 season.
Otherwise–and maybe even if Lyons is healthy–the Cardinals will have to look at some former starters as potential candidates to complementKevin Siegristas lefty relievers.Tim Cooney,Marco Gonzales, andJaime Garciacould all fit in that type of role if they don’t win spots in the rotation. In addition, leftiesCorey LittrellandRyan Sherriffhave been pitching in the Arizona Fall League and could force themselves into the roster conversation, though Sherriff’s numbersaren’t exactly favorable at the moment.
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Later in the day, the Cardinals lost Hazelbaker on waivers to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a club that could use extra outfield depth a season after injuries to lineup anchors AJ Pollock andDavid Peraltacost them a chance at being competitive.
Hazelbaker’s departure caps off a wild year for the 29-year-old slugger, who unexpectedly made the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster with a dominant spring training, settled into a near-everyday role with a 1.040 OPS during April, was demoted to Triple-A in June, then returned in July to become one of the Cardinals’ most important bench players for the rest of the season.
The fact that Hazelbaker couldn’t hold a 40-man roster spot with the Cardinals sheds light on how little separation there is between second and third-tier position players in Major League Baseball right now. Just a couple seasons ago, a bench player with above-average speed, solid defensive ability and versatility, superior pinch-hitting skills (11-for-41 with four homers, nine RBI, and a walk), and tremendous power–at least in a small sample size–would have been a hot commodity.
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After all, Hazelbaker hit 12 homers in 224 at-bats, and his .245 ISO (isolated power) was the 11th-highest among major-league outfielders with at least 200 plate appearances in 2016. He’s sandwiched between names likeMark Trumbo,Kris Bryant,Mike Trout, andRyan Braunon that leaderboard. But in a 2016 season that was the second-most power-packed year in the history of the sport, players with that skill are considered replaceable, apparently.
The Cardinals’ decision to jettison Hazelbaker presumably will pave the way for them to acquire an everyday center fielder via trade or free agency this offseason. WithMatt HollidayandBrandon Mossseemingly out of the picture for 2017, the Cardinals’ current options as in-house reserve outfielders areKolten Wong,Tommy Pham,Jose Martinez, andAnthony Garcia(who posted a sub-.700 OPS in the minors this season). If he rediscovers his swing, prospectHarrison Badercould also force himself into the discussion at some point next season, though the Cardinals would likely be cautious about promoting him if he wasn’t going to start consistently.
With Kiekhefer and Hazelbaker gone, the Cardinals currently have 40 players on their 40-man roster. But after they officially decline the options of Holliday andJordan Walden, refuse to tender a qualifying offer to Moss, and allowJerome Williamsto hit free agency, that number will be reduced to 36.
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In addition, the Cardinals could easily create extra roster space by designating Duke–whose contract expires after 2017–for assignment. If they think there’s any chance of him returning later on, or if they simply want to allow him to rehab at their facilities, they could always re-sign him to a minor-league contract after he cleared waivers.
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