Cardinals Reliever Elects Free Agency After Strong Season In St. Louis' Bullpen

St. Louis could lose a key pitcher this winter

Scott Neville | Nov 3, 2023

Cardinals Reliever Elects Free Agency After Strong Season In St. Louis' Bullpen /

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals' 2023 season will be remembered for the lackluster pitching performances, nearly across the board, which sunk a promising season.

However, there was at least one Cardinals hurler who posted a career year amid the team's struggles, doing what he could to keep the team afloat. That player could be departing this winter.

"Drew VerHagen, the lone impending Cardinals free agent, has elected free agency," The Athletic's Katie Woo reported Thursday. "Not a surprise."

The move does not mean that he would not return after testing the market but his chances of coming back decline every day that a new deal is not reached. Starting Tuesday, he can negotiate with all 30 teams.

VerHagen posted a 3.98 ERA with a 60-to-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .226 batting average against and 1.28 WHIP in a career-high 61 innings this season.

Given that he entered the year with a career 5.26 ERA, it's quite far to say he exceeded expectations.

While it's fair to deem VerHagen a loss should he move on, there is reason to believe that his 2023 campaign will not be repeated next season.

The most telling stat was his 4.93 FIP, which implies that his production was tied to a fair amount of luck. That combined with a career .267 batting average against and 1.43 WHIP spells trouble.

The 33-year-old would be a fine depth option, maybe a middle innings reliever but should not be re-signed for a meaningful role. That would set up the organization for disappointment.

More MLB: Cardinals Linked To Trio Of 'Affordable' Options To Bolster Rotation This Winter

Published Nov 3, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu