ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals tendered contracts to seven of its eight arbitration-eligible players before the deadline Tuesday night. The only man left out was utility player Jose Rondon, who is now a free agent.
The players who were tendered contracts were pitchers Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Alex Reyes, Jordan Hicks and Giovanny Gallegos and outfielders Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader. They can now negotiate salaries for the 2022 season, but if no deal is reached by Jan. 14, an arbitration panel will decide if either the team's offer or player's offer will be accepted.
It's the second arbitration process for Flaherty, Bader, Reyes and Hicks, but the first time for O'Neill, Hudson and Gallegos. Projections say the team will own them a total of at least $10 million, with Flaherty likely to get around $5 million, followed by O'Neill, Gallegoes and Bader set to earn between $4-3 million.
Rondon, 27, signed a minor league deal with St. Louis before the season and his three pinch-hit homers in 80 at bats. He played five different positions and was even a designated hitter for the Cardinals this season. There's a chance the team could offer him a similar contract before next season.
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The move drops the Cardinals 40-man roster to 36 players. They are still looking to add more pitching depth and "another type hitter," according to Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.
Enjoy some Cardinals news while we've got it fans, because there may not be much to talk about as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire at 10:59 p.m. CT. Once that happens, if no deal is signed between the players union and MLB – which seems to be the way it's going – then there will be a lockout for the first time in 26 years. It could threaten the start of Spring Training and the 2022 MLB season.
However, many believe the last thing either side wants to do is lose money again after the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
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Rondon's position is something that could be filled by up-and-coming prospects like Juan Yepez, who was a breakout star in the minors last season and the Arizona Fall League. Or it could be the team's No. 1 prospect Nolan Gorman.
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