Moises

Gomez

Gómez hit 39 homers in 2022 while in the minors and followed it up with a 30-homer campaign, but the outfielder has been limited to 45 games for Triple-A Memphis while hitting just three roundtrippers and registering a .555 OPS. He’s now free to sign with a new organization.

Hence is regarded as one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects and has a chance to ascend to the big leagues later on this year. Gómez has put up massive power numbers in the upper minors, but has yet to get a chance at the highest level. Naughton is merely extra organizational pitching depth at this juncture of his career.

It’s a tad surprising that Gómez passed through waivers unclaimed following his removal from St. Louis’ 40-man roster given his prodigious raw power. The 25-year-old slugger will open the 2024 campaign back at Triple-A Memphis as extra organizational depth.

The Cardinals needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster after Alfonso Rivas was claimed off of waivers from the Angels and unfortunately Gómez drew the short straw this time around. The 25-year-old outfielder hit for plenty of power at Triple-A Memphis in 2023 — slashing .232/.293/.457 with 30 long balls, 79 RBI and a 180/39 K/BB ratio over 567 plate appearances. You can’t teach that type of power, so perhaps there will be teams interested on waivers that believe they can improve his plate discipline.

It’s been a busy few months for Rivas who was traded to the Pirates in August and then put on waivers after the season. He was then claimed by Cleveland in November and designated for assignment in December, when he was claimed by the Angels, who then designated him for assignment last week. The Cardinals will now be the latest team to take a gamble on the 27-year-old, who is a plus defensive first baseman and an on-base percentage machine but has just a .243/.324/.349 slash line in 459 plate appearances. OF Moisés Gómez was designated for assignment to make room for Rivas.

Gómez, who was added to the 40-man roster over the winter, put up a monster .996 OPS with 39 home runs in 120 games between Double- and Triple-A last season. The 24-year-old also struck out more than one-third of the time, so there’s serious questions about his ability to make contact against advanced pitching. Still, there’s a decent chance we see his major league debut this summer.

Dylan Carlson will patrol right field in this one with highly-touted prospect Moises Gómez getting the nod in left field. The Cardinals want to get as many looks with Nootbaar as possible before he departs for the World Baseball Classic as he’s vying for a starting corner outfield spot this spring. It seems like Nootbaar, Carlson and Tyler O’Neill are virtual locks for the Opening Day roster, but top prospect Jordan Walker, who clobbered a mammoth homer over the weekend, could force his way onto the season-opening roster with a blistering-hot spring training.

As previously reported by Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are adding Gómez to their 40-man roster so that he can’t become a minor league free agent. The 24-year-old outfielder certainly earned the spot after exploding to the tune of a .996 OPS with 39 home runs and 94 RBI in 120 games this past summer between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. With a strong showing in spring training next February and March, he could perhaps crack the Opening Day roster in STL in 2023.

That move would prevent him from becoming a free agent again. Gómez, 24, signed a minor league contract with St. Louis last winter, after being released by the Rays, and went on to post a stellar .294/.371/.624 batting line with 39 homers in 120 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. He’s on track to make his MLB debut in the early part of the 2023 season.

Gómez signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals last November and has gone on to post a sublime .321/.401/.705 triple-slash line with a minor league-leading 23 home runs and seven steals across 257 plate appearances this season at Double-A Springfield. The 23-year-old outfielder could force his way to the majors later this year if he keeps obliterating baseballs in the upper minors.