Cardinals Face Difficult Decision For Veteran Hurler's Future Amid Latest Roster Cut

St. Louis might have to part ways with the recently acquired pitcher

May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to make big-league roster cuts with Opening Day 2025 against the Minnesota Twins on Mar. 27th steadily approaching.

The Cardinals will open up their season with former Twins ace Sonny Gray throwing out the first pitch for St. Louis at Busch Stadium. Other than knowing who their Opening Day starter and closing pitcher (Ryan Helsley) will be, the 11-time World Series champions still have much to determine in the coming days regarding their pitching staff.

For instance, a recently acquired veteran hurler was optioned to Triple-A Memphis but due to his lack of service time, the Cardinals might be forced to part ways with the aging reliever.

"Quick summary of how this works: (Nick) Anderson will be offered to other 29 teams in coming days," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported Tuesday shortly after the Cardinals officially announced that they has optioned Anderson to the minors. "If one claims him, (Cardinals) can keep him by putting on OD roster. Due to his service time, claiming him for 40 roster is not enough for a team to keep him unless he's on its OD roster."

Anderson has logged a 14-7 record with a 3.18 ERA, 202-to-47 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .215 batting average against and a 1.09 WHIP in 158 1/3 innings pitched throughout his five-year career, during which he pitched for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals.

Considering how competitive the Cardinals bullpen will be this season, it seems highly unlikely that Anderson will be kept, unless he fails to find another team willing to give him a chance.

The Cardinals game plan for 2025 is to provide opportunities for youngsters, such as Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy and Riley O'Brien, to prove themselves as big-league relievers.

Therefore, the Cardinals would likely choose to move on from Anderson if another team looks to claim his contract. The best-case scenario for St. Louis would be if he the right-handed pitcher remains in the club's farm system without forcing a younger talent off the big-league roster.

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