Six Cardinals Players Elect Free Agency Amid Mild Organizational Turnover

St. Louis will have some open roster spots throughout their organization

Scott Neville | Oct 17, 2023

Six Cardinals Players Elect Free Agency Amid Mild Organizational Turnover /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are laying the groundwork for a potentially franchise-altering offseason as the organization attempts to rebound following an unexpected last-place finish.

In a couple of months, the big headlines will involve potential impact additions but first, the team must open some roster spots throughout the organization.

The Cardinals announced they have given their unconditional release to six players: catcher/outfielder José Alvarez, left-handed pitcher Kenny Hernandez, outfielder Chase Pinder, infielder Kramer Robertson, infielder Errol Robinson and right-handed pitcher Cory Thompson.

Every player on the list was scheduled to hit minor league free agency and appear to have elected to use that right.

The bulk of these players can be defined as organizational depth, meaning they weren't established players or promising prospects. Still, St. Louis will have to replace them -- though that effort will likely come after targeting big-league free agency first.

At this point in the offseason, a minor leaguer is wise to expand his options to see if an opposing club has a clearer path to the big leagues than St. Louis. That said, it would not be shocking to see a couple of these guys return after testing the waters.

While none of these players appear to be perennial All-Stars, it will be interesting to see where they land.

More MLB: Veteran Cardinals Catcher Elects Free Agency After Short Stint In St. Louis

Published Oct 17, 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