BREAKING NEWS: Cardinals’ trade pitcher to Angels for cash considerations

After being designated for assignment last week due to the addition of Keynan Middleton, Zuñiga was traded to the Angels in exchange for cash considerations on Wednesday, as announced by the club.

Zuñiga, who joined the Cardinals in December after stints in the Minor League systems of the Braves and Dodgers, made an impression in the World Baseball Classic last spring with his ability to pitch at speeds surpassing 100 mph while representing Colombia. In one game against Team USA, he struck out his future Cardinals teammates, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 230 pounds, Zuñiga briefly showed promise as a potential late-inning reliever for the Cardinals in the 2023 season.

Nevertheless, he only made two appearances in the Major Leagues in 2023, managing to strike out four batters out of the six outs he secured. Due to experiencing pain in his right elbow, he landed on the 15-day injured list on August 27, and he was subsequently moved to the 60-day IL for the remainder of the season.

Feb. 3: Right-handed pitcher Keynan Middleton was acquired as a free agent after playing for both the White Sox and Yankees during the 2023 season. Middleton becomes the 10th pitcher not originally from the Cardinals organization to join the team this offseason. Find more details about his signing here.

Jan. 29: First baseman/outfielder Alfonso Rivas was picked up through waivers, while outfielder Moisés Gómez was designated for assignment. In a bid to strengthen their designated-hitter, pinch-hitter, and corner-infield roster spots, the Cardinals secured Rivas from the Angels on Monday.

To open up a spot for Rivas on the 40-player roster, the Cardinals have designated Gómez for assignment. If the 25-year-old promising player from the Minor League clears waivers, he will have the opportunity to return to the Cardinals.

Rivas, aged 27, is a left-handed hitter and fielder, qualities that the Cardinals have been seeking to complement players like Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson, and switch-hitters Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson. Having previously played for the Cubs, Rivas appeared in 48 games with the Padres and Pirates last season after completing two seasons with the Cubs. In his 167 career MLB games, he has achieved a .243/.324/.349/.673 slash line with seven home runs and 43 RBIs. Additionally, Rivas remains enticing for the Cardinals as he still has one minor league option remaining.

Interestingly, Rivas and Edman attended La Jolla Country Day High School in La Jolla, Calif. simultaneously. Edman, aged 28, proceeded to play baseball at Stanford, while Rivas pursued his career at the University of Arizona within the Pac-12.

On the other hand, Gómez showcased his potential by hitting 39 home runs and 94 RBIs in Double-A and Triple-A during the 2022 season. Although he was added to the Cardinals’ 40-player roster in the offseason of 2022, he struggled to secure a promotion to the MLB last season due to the team’s challenges and injuries. In the previous season, Gómez recorded a .232 batting average with 30 home runs and 79 RBIs in Triple-A Memphis. His high strikeout rate of 180 times, coupled with a low walk count of 52 times and a .293 on-base percentage, presented challenges. Notably, he was not included in St. Louis’ Arizona Fall League roster last year.