photo: Jose Oquendo, Leonard Bernal (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals added four players – Leonardo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Brycen Mautz and Cooper Hjerpe – to their 40-man roster on Tuesday. Jorge Alcalá was designated for assignment.
Tuesday, November 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET was an important date for Major League Baseball teams. That was the deadline to protect players eligible for the Rule 5 draft and set 40-man rosters accordingly. The annual draft is scheduled for December 10.
Following a flurry of roster changes on November 6, the Cardinals’ roster sat at 37 players, meaning they could protect a maximum of three eligible minor leaguers. Those not protected become eligible to be selected by another organization in the draft, assuming the claiming team has an open 40-man spot.
Eligibility is based on the age of the player when initially signed as well as how long he has been a professional. This applies to both domestic and international players.
Players who signed at 18 years or younger must be added within five seasons. Those who signed at 19 or older must be added within four seasons.
Regular listeners to our Wednesday With Walton and Reis podcast are aware that my prediction was that the Cardinals would protect catcher Leonardo Bernal, outfielder Joshua Baez and injured left-hander Cooper Hjerpe.
That is precisely what happened on Tuesday, with one logical and deserving addition, 2025 Texas League All-Star left-handed pitcher Brycen Mautz. Room was created for the fourth new 40-man roster member when reliever Jorge Alcalá was designated for assignment.
As a point of reference, the first three newly protected players were ranked in the Top 10 of The Cardinal Nation’s most recent Cardinals Top Prospect List update (published in August). Mautz was 17th.
Late in the 2025 season, the Cardinals made several preemptive moves. They added three prospects who would otherwise have been among those on the eligible list to the 40-man and gave them their first taste of the majors. They are catcher Jimmy Crooks, infielder Cesar Prieto and outfielder Nathan Church.
At risk
Tuesday’s moves leave other prominent Cardinals minor leaguers exposed to the Rule 5 draft. That list includes first baseman Blaze Jordan and outfielder Miguel Ugueto, as well as pitchers Max Rajcic, Hancel Rincon, Pete Hansen, Austin Love, Darlin Saladin and Cade Winquest.
Of them, Jordan, who came over from Boston at the trade deadline for Steven Matz, was proficient driving in runs in his Memphis debut, but batted below the Mendoza Line. Ugueto starred in the Arizona Fall League, but like all the other exposed players noted just above (other than Jordan and Rajcic), he has no Triple-A experience.
What is next
Remember that all players taken in the Major League Phase of the draft must remain on the 26-man active MLB roster of the claiming team for the entire 2026 season or be offered back. Player lack of readiness for the majors can be a major deterrent to a prospective selecting team, especially in the case of position players.
Though the Cardinals’ 40-man roster is currently full, another major deadline is just ahead on Friday, November 21. That is the “non-tender date,” by which teams must offer a 2026 contract to all players under six years of service time. If no contract is offered, the player becomes a free agent.
This could recreate 40-man space the Cardinals could use in trades or as a buyer in the Rule 5 draft. So, stay tuned throughout what promises to be a busy off-season!
Addendum – Player profiles from the St. Louis Cardinals
Baez, 22, the Cardinals 2021 2nd round selection in the MLB Draft out of Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Mass., had a breakout season in 2025 between Peoria (A+) and Springfield (AA) batting .287 with 20 home runs, 79 RBI and was successful in 54-of-63 stolen base attempts. The 6-foot-3, 242 lb, slugger posted an .884 OPS and played in a career-high 117 games. The Cardinals No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America, led the organization in total bases and stolen bases, while ranking among the Top 5 in home runs (1st), RBI (2nd), hits (3rd), runs (3rd), doubles (3rd) and and extra base hits (3rd).
Bernal, 21, an international free agent signed out of Panama City, Panama, in 2021 was selected as the Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove winner at catcher for the 2025 season which included all minor league players at every level. The switch-hitting backstop played in 107 games at Springfield and batted .247 with 13 HR and 70 RBI with 13 stolen bases. Bernal threw out 39.1 percent of attempted base stealers, catching 27 in 69 attempts. He is the Cardinals No. 4 prospect for MLB.com and ranked No. 9 by Baseball America.
Hjerpe, 24, the Cardinals 1st round selection (22nd overall pick) in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oregon State, missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The sidewinding southpaw has averaged 12.2 strikeouts/9 IP over the first two years of his professional playing career hurling 93.1 innings and was a non-roster invite to Cardinals Major League camp in 2025.
Mautz, 24, the Cardinals 2nd round selection out of the University of San Diego in 2022 posted an 8-3 record with a 2.98 ERA in 25 starts for Springfield. Mautz ranked among Cardinals farmhands in ERA (2.98, 4th), strikeouts (134, 2nd), innings pitched (114.2, 4th) and WHIP (1.11, 2nd).
Alcala’, 30, pitched in 15 games for St. Louis as a waiver claim from Boston on August 7.
(TCN note: Alcala’s St. Louis’ ERA was 5.02, making him a prime non-tender candidate, anyway.)
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated during the offseason and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.