The St. Louis Cardinals are not expected to be very active on the free agent market this offseason, but they were still making moves. On the first day of free agency, St. Louis started its roster turnover by saying goodbye to outfielder Michael Siani and pitchers Roddery Muñoz, Zack Thompson, and Anthony Veneziano. The lone addition to the team’s 40-man roster on day one is utility player Bryan Torres, putting the roster at 37 players.

Michael Siani and Roddery Muñoz claimed, Thompson and Veneziano elect free agency, Bryan Torres added to 40-man

For much of the season, the news around the Cardinals circled around a 40-man roster crunch, saying that the organization is going to have tough decisions to make as a few of their minor leaguers are approaching Rule 5 status. On day one, though, there were really no tough decisions to begin trimming the roster fat.

The biggest name that will spend 2026 elsewhere is nothing to lose sleep over as outfielder Michael Siani was claimed by the Atlanta Braves. Siani, 26, is a glove-first player who was the beneficiary of a broken Cardinals team in 2024 as he played in 128 games despite putting up a miserable 64 WRC+ in 298 at-bats. The speedster managed to swipe 20 bases, but did little else to be seen as a necessary piece to a roster that already had Victor Scott II providing the same skillset. Siani received a shorter leash in 2025, appearing in just 19 major league games and hit .209 with eight homers during his season in Triple-A Memphis. With an outfield logjam already, Siani was the easiest player to separate from heading into an awkward 2026 campaign. The Braves do not have a plan in place for regular playing time for Siani, but he does have a minor league option remaining if he cannot stick with the team after Spring Training.

Another player finding a new home is reliever Roddery Muñoz, who has an electric right arm but may not always know where the ball is going when it leaves his hand, was claimed by the division rival Cincinnati Reds.. Coming into 2025, I personally had positive expectations for the 25-year-old fireballer who struggled as a starter with Miami. Armed with a relievers arsenal, the Cardinals took a chance on Muñoz as he pitched 47 games in the organization, including nine in the majors. In those outings, he covered 11 innings and flashed his upside with 14 strikeouts while allowing nine hits. The command remained an issue, though, as the righty walked an additional nine batters en route to an 8.18 ERA. His fastball averaged 96mph and he has a nasty slider and cutter, while showing a starter’s repertoire with minimal use of a sinker and changeup. With the Reds, Muñoz will have a chance to establish himself as a quality arm but he is out of minor league options, so he would have to go through waivers if the Reds do not keep him on the 26-man roster.

While Siani and Muñoz have found new organizations, Zack Thompson and Anthony Veneziano have elected to become minor league free agents after going unclaimed. Thompson, a former first-round pick, has struggled with injuries and inconsistent performance since being drafted in 2019. The lefty was viewed as a potential rotation piece and eventually made his way to the majors in 2022. In 22 games, Thompson put up a 2.08 ERA with solid peripherals to make him a rotation option for the following season. He appeared in 25 games, including nine starts, in 2023 but went 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA. Injury issues started to plague Thompson as he spent half of 2024 and all of 2025 on the injured list. Rival teams will need to see if his left shoulder has recovered enough to offer him a contract. Joining Thompson on the market is 28-year-old lefty Anthony Veneziano. He has pitched in 40 games since 2023 and covered four innings for the Cardinals this past season. Veneziano’s 93mph fastball and slider/sweeper combo has him sitting at a career 1-0 record and a 3.98 ERA.

The final move comes as an addition to the 40-man roster. The Cardinals opted to reward Bryan Torres’ standout season in Memphis and added the 28-year-old Puerto Rican to the roster. The utility man played 104 games in Triple-A and led the league with a .441 on-base percentage and smacked a career-high nine homers while swiping 26 bases. Torres has shown a strong knowledge of the strikezone, walking more than he struck out last season. Torres will get the chance to crack the major league roster with a solid spring and could fill a backup or utility role if/when the Cardinals trade players from the 26-man squad.

Free agency has officially started, but do not expect to see St. Louis showing interest in the big names on the market. In a transition season, we will likely see more subtractions than addition to the big league roster.