Inside The Cardinals

Former Cardinals Lefty Finds New Home in KBO League

Players are starting to come off the board left and right...
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

A former member of the St. Louis Cardinals has found another opportunity overseas.

Left-handed hurler Anthony Veneziano spent time with the Cardinals in 2025 after he was designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins. The Cardinals claimed Veneziano in August and he appeared in two games in the majors for St. Louis and 10 games down in the minors for the organization before electing free agency. Now, he's heading to the Korea Baseball Organization to pitch for the SSG Landers, as pointed out by MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco.

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"The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization announced this evening that they’ve signed left-hander Anthony Veneziano," Franco wrote. "The KHG Sports Management client receives a $750K salary and can make another $100K in incentives. As noted by Dan Kurtz of MyKBO, the signing comes after the Landers pulled out of their agreement with right-hander Drew VerHagen. The club’s medical team had flagged an undisclosed issue with VerHagen’s physical. He’ll return to free agency. That opened a roster spot for a second non-Pacific foreign pitcher alongside righty Mitch White, who is back for his second season with the team.

The former Cardinals hurler found a new home

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Anthony Veneziano
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

"They targeted Veneziano, who was granted his release from a minor league contract with the Rangers to pursue the opportunity. The 28-year-old Veneziano heads overseas for the first time in his career. He’d been in affiliated ball since 2019, when the Royals took him as a 10th-round draftee out of Coastal Carolina."

Veneziano pitched in two games out of the bullpen for St. Louis last season and had a 4.50 ERA in four innings pitched. He logged a 4.38 ERA in 10 appearances with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds as well across 12 1/3 innings pitched.

Now, the lefty will head to the KBO League at 28 years old and see if he can bounce back and return. We've seen that happen with pitchers in recent years, including Cody Ponce this offseason and Erick Fedde before the 2024 season.

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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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