Cardinals Lose 28-Year-Old Left-Hander To Rangers On Minor League Deal

The Cardinals had the left-hander briefly late in the season.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the early stages of a rebuild. They’ll likely be trading players such as Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero, while Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado are also possibilities.

The Cardinals also must make sure they don’t have any deadweight on the roster or elsewhere in the organization that could hold up their plans to rebuild and start the process of creating a consistent contender.

The Cardinals non-tendered a few players, including John King last month, but they also cut bait with left-hander Anthony Veneziano this offseason. According to Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors, the former Cardinals left-hander has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.

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28-Year-Old Pitcher Departs Cardinals For Rangers

Aug 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Anthony Veneziano (67) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Veneziano started the 2025 season with the Miami Marlins and posted a 4.71 ERA in 24 appearances. The Cardinals claimed him off waivers in August, and he pitched just two games for St. Louis, posting a 4.50 ERA.

The 28-year-old left-hander finished the year with a 4.68 ERA between Miami and St. Louis. The Cardinals have picked up a lot of pitching depth thus far this offseason.

They added Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke in the Sonny Gray trade, took several pitchers in the Rule 5 Draft, and also signed right-hander Dustin May to a one-year contract for 2026, so losing Veneziano doesn’t hurt them in any way.

Now, the left-hander will get a shot to prove himself with the Rangers after a brief stint in St. Louis. The Cardinals will likely look to add more pitching at various points this winter as the offseason progresses.

Veneziano began his career with the Kansas City Royals in 2023 and was claimed by the Marlins in 2024 before his stint in St. Louis. For the Cardinals, the left-hander wasn’t much more than a depth piece in their bullpen, so they should be able to find some other arms to replace him and to stock up the minor league system with pitching for next season.

Veneziano could potentially compete for a spot in the Rangers’ bullpen for 2026 during spring training. But his time with the Cardinals’ organization is likely at an end after appearing in just two games late in the year.

We’ll see what comes next for the lefty.

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