3 players who will be gone after the trade deadline

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 4: St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol clears out #34 St. Louis Cardinals Drew VerHagen during the sixth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 4 . 2022 in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

The Cardinals are facing a potentially active trading period. There are some players who will soon be missing from the squad.

That cardinals They are expected to be active at the close to improve for a final push towards the playoffs. The team could end up looking dramatically different.

While Pitching is the greatest necessity As the Cardinals near the deadline, the Cardinals have been linked with some big names, including the biggest fish of all this deadline in Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto. While Soto isn’t a pitcher, Soto would be a huge asset to the Cardinals. The Nationals are reportedly ready to field pitcher Patrick Corbin. So there is.

With names like Pablo Lopez, Tarik Skubol and others available, there are many options for the cardinals. That means some on the current list of cardinals may have disappeared after the August 2 deadline.

Not only will this be great for the Cardinals to continue, but in some cases better for the players as they could get more opportunities with a change of scenery with a new team.

Let’s talk about who could soon be missing from the Cardinals’ roster.

Drew VerHagen doesn’t fit the Cardinals’ pitching needs

If the Cardinals get the pitching depth they desire, VerHagen will not have a spot on this list.

He is currently on the injured list with a hip problem. Since joining the Cardinals, he’s spent a lot of time working on things that are MLB eligible. With a 6.65 ERA, it’s easy to see that the fruits of his labor have been poor.

In 19 games, he pitched 21.2 innings and is 3-1. While he has two holds, he has a blown parry. While he’s struck out 18 batters, he’s also run 14 batters while earning 27 hits, 18 runs with 16 of them, and giving up five home runs.

VerHagen was an attractive option for the Cardinals as a career groundball pitcher. He’s gained just 33.8% grounders this season while boasting a career-high 40.8% fly balls. That’s not what the cardinals usually like in their jars.

VerHagen was handed a two-year deal worth $5.5 million. He’s unlikely to be a viable candidate, but the Cardinals could be forced to take the hit and release him if they can gain quality pitching depth by deadline.