Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Add 27-Year-Old Slugger as Outfield Options Dwindle

The St. Louis Cardinals made yet another good depth move.
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsChicago CubsKansas City Royals

The St. Louis Cardinals have been a team very much in need of a right-handed bat.

With Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras out the door by way of trades to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, that left a hole for the organization. One player who was a reported fit for the organization was old friend Harrison Bader, but he joined the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

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On the same day, the Cardinals announced their non-roster invitees for Spring Training. One name that stood out was 27-year-old slugger Nelson Velázquez. The club announced that the righty has been signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.

The Cardinals added a right-handed bat for Spring Training

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velázquez
Mar 6, 2025; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velázquez (17) hits against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

"We have signed OF Nelson Velázquez to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to Major League Spring Training," the Cardinals announced. "The right-handed hitter, 27, appeared in 194 games between the Cubs and Royals from 2022-24 and owns a career .433 SLG with 31 career home runs."

If the Cardinals weren't going to land someone like Bader, Velázquez is a perfect dice roll for a team that is going to be young and looking for upside in 2026. You can't go wrong with a minor league deal. They are inexpensive and if the player doesn't perform well enough for a big league call-up, you have depth down in the minors.

Velázquez turned 27 years old in December and has 194 games of big league experience under his belt as a member of the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. In 2023, he hit 17 homers for the Cubs and Royals in just 53 games played. He had six long balls as a rookie in 2022 with Chicago in 77 games. In 2024, he had eight homers in 64 games.

He's young, can play in the outfield, and has right-handed pop. You can't really ask for much more from a non-roster flyer before Spring Training.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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