The Cardinals have announced the signing of talented star to contract, along with the re-signing of right-handed pitcher Victor Santos to a two-year minor league deal. Earlier this week, the team also revealed a non-roster contract with catcher Yohel Pozo.
Zack Weiss stands out as the most notable addition of the three. At 32 years old, he has made appearances in parts of three MLB seasons. Two years ago, he pitched a career-high 14 innings with the Red Sox and Angels. Weiss was claimed off waivers by the Twins last offseason but was removed from their 40-man roster without making an MLB appearance. He spent time with Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.40 ERA in 25 innings while striking out an above-average 26.7% of batters.
Despite limited MLB experience, Weiss has proven effective at missing bats, with a career strikeout rate of 28% over 27 1/3 innings. However, his high walk rate of 12.7% has led to a 4.61 ERA in the majors. In six Triple-A seasons, Weiss has allowed 5.37 earned runs per nine innings.
Santos, 24, has yet to debut in the big leagues. He was acquired in the trade with the Red Sox for Tyler O’Neill, which turned out to be a lopsided deal in favor of the Cards. Last season, Santos posted a 5.61 ERA in 77 innings at Triple-A Memphis. He had been pitching in the Dominican Winter League this offseason but reportedly suffered an injury, which will keep him out for the entire 2025 season, hence the two-year deal.
Pozo, 27, played 21 MLB games for the Rangers four seasons ago, hitting .284 in 77 plate appearances. The past two years, he has served as non-roster depth with the A’s. Last season, Pozo had an impressive .324/.335/.538 slash line with 15 home runs in Triple-A, where the environment heavily favors hitters. He has one of the most unique offensive approaches in baseball, posting the lowest walk rate (1.9%) among nearly 1,100 minor league hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. Despite that, his strikeout rate was among the lowest at 8.3%, and no one put more balls in play overall.