The St. Louis Cardinals did not reach deals with three arbitration-eligible players – outfielder Lars Nootbaar, outfielder/second baseman Brendan Donovan and right-handed pitcher Andre Pallante – by Thursday’s deadline to exchange salary figures.
The Cardinals did, however, reach one-year contracts with relief pitchers Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero and John King to avoid arbitration.
Nootbaar, 27, has carved out a role in St. Louis’ outfield since entering the major leagues in 2021. Of his 392 career games, he’s played right field in 213 of them.
Nootbaar batted .244 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs for the Cardinals in 2024. He has a career .246 average with 45 homers and 146 RBIs.
Donovan, who turns 28 on Jan. 16, played a career-high 153 games for St. Louis in 2024, primarily at left field and second base. He batted .278, bringing his career average down to .280, providing career highs of 14 homers and 73 RBIs. Donovan was a Gold Glove winner in 2022 and placed third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Pallante, 26, completed his third major league season (all with St. Louis) and made 20 starts after moving from the bullpen to the rotation in late May. In 29 total appearances (121 1/3 innings), Pallante amassed an 8-8 record and a 3.78 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 48 walks.
Helsley, who reportedly agreed to an $8.2 million salary for 2025, led the major leagues with 49 saves in 54 opportunities. The 30-year-old also had a 7-4 record and a 2.04 ERA in 65 total appearances. The right-hander was named an All-Star for the second time (also 2022) and finished ninth in Cy Young Award voting.
Romero, 28, went 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA and made one save in a career-high 65 games out of the bullpen in 2024. The left-hander set career highs in strikeouts (51) and innings pitched (59).
King, 30, finished the 2024 season with a 3-3 record and a 2.85 ERA after a career-high 56 games. He had 38 strikeouts to just 14 walks in 60 innings.
St. Louis also claimed left-hander Bailey Horn off waivers from the Detroit Tigers, who had selected him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox last November.
Horn, 26, made his MLB debut in 2024 and went 1-1 with a 6.50 ERA in 18 relief appearances.
–Field Level Media
