The St. Louis Cardinals non-tendered contracts to four players on Friday, MLB's deadline for deciding on players with fewer than six years of service time. Yohel Pozo, who ranked second in pinch-hit RBIs in 2025, was among those let go despite his feel-good story. John King, Sem Robberse and Jorge Alcala also became free agents.
The St. Louis Cardinals made their non-tender decisions for the 2026 season on Friday, releasing four players from their 40-man roster. Yohel Pozo, a Venezuela native and catcher/DH/first baseman, was not tendered despite a strong pinch-hitting performance in 2025. He recorded six hits, two doubles and a game-winning home run as a pinch-hitter, driving in seven RBIs—second in MLB behind Rowdy Tellez's 11 for Seattle and Texas. Pozo's pinch-hit homer on July 5 lifted the Cardinals past the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Overall, he hit .231 with five homers, eight doubles and 19 RBIs in 67 games. His backstory includes overcoming homelessness during the 2020 Minor League shutdown while caring for a seriously ill newborn son, making him one of baseball's best feel-good stories.
Left-handed reliever John King, 31, was also non-tendered as expected. Acquired in 2023 after the Jordan Montgomery trade, King posted ground-ball rates of 61.5 percent in 2024 and 60 percent in 2025, both in MLB's 98th percentile per Baseball Savant. However, his ERA rose to 4.66 in 2025 from 2.85 in 2024. He earned $1.6 million last season and was eligible for his third arbitration year. King recently welcomed his first child.
Injured Minor League pitcher Sem Robberse, 24, from the Netherlands, made four starts for Triple-A Memphis in 2025 before undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. In 2024, he went 4-4 with a 4.38 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 90 1/3 innings split between Single-A Palm Beach and Triple-A Memphis.
Reliever Jorge Alcala was designated for assignment earlier in the week to make room for Double-A prospects Leonardo Bernal, Joshua Baez and Brycen Mautz, protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
The moves leave the Cardinals with seven arbitration-eligible players: JoJo Romero (third year), All-Star Brendan Donovan (second year), Lars Nootbaar (second year), Andre Pallante (first year), Matthew Liberatore (first year), Nolan Gorman (first year) and Silver Slugger Alec Burleson (first year). Veterans Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras have guaranteed contracts, while 27 others received pre-arbitration tenders. Pozo could return on a Minor League deal due to the team's fondness for his positive attitude and pinch-hitting skills.