The St. Louis Cardinals have signed reliever to a minor league contract. Additionally, they re-signed right-handed pitcher to a two-year minor league deal and announced a non-roster contract with catcher Yohel Pozo.
He is the most prominent of the trio. The 32-year-old has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons, recording a career-high 14 innings between the Red Sox and Angels two years ago. He was claimed off waivers by the Twins last offseason but was removed from their 40-man roster without making an MLB appearance. Weiss then pitched 25 innings at Triple-A, posting a 5.40 ERA while striking out 26.7% of hitters.
In his limited MLB exposure, Weiss has shown solid strikeout stuff, fanning 28% of batters in 27 1/3 innings, though a 12.7% walk rate has led to a 4.61 ERA. He’s also allowed 5.37 earned runs per nine innings across six Triple-A seasons.
Santos, 24, has yet to make his MLB debut. The Cardinals acquired him as part of the trade with the Red Sox for Tyler O’Neill. Last season, Santos posted a 5.61 ERA over 77 innings with Triple-A Memphis. After pitching in the Dominican Winter League this offseason, he suffered an injury and is expected to miss the entire 2025 season, which likely influenced the two-year term of his contract.
Pozo, 27, appeared in 21 MLB games for the Rangers four seasons ago, hitting .284 in 77 plate appearances. In the past two seasons, he has served as non-roster depth with the A’s, posting a .324/.335/.538 slash line with 15 home runs in Triple-A last year. Known for his extreme approach, Pozo recorded the lowest walk rate (1.9%) among nearly 1,100 minor league hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. However, his 8.3% strikeout rate was the fourth-lowest, and he made the most contact overall.
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