The St. Louis Cardinals are releasing minor league pitcher Zack Showalter. Jeff Jones reports.
Showalter was one of three players the Cardinals received in their Jack Flaherty trade with the Orioles in 2026. The other two pieces from said deal are Drew Rom, who has since departed, and Cesar Prieto, who has seen minimal playing time.
MLB Reacts to Zack Showalter’s Release
Here’s what people are saying about the end of the Showalter era:
Jeff Jones: “Cardinals have released Zack Showalter, one of the three players they received from Baltimore in the Jack Flaherty trade. César Prieto is the last remaining piece from that deal; the other was Drew Rom.”
Zach Bollinger: “Wow. Felt like Showalter was a massive loss at the time…Prospects man… prospects.”
Ray Mileur: “Per Jeff Jones, the #STLCards have released RHP Zack Showalter, one of the three players acquired from Baltimore in the Jack Flaherty trade. That deal now continues to thin out on the back end. César Prieto remains the key piece to watch, while Drew Rom’s injuries have limited his path and Showalter never gained much traction in the system. Baseball trades have a way of writing their own report cards — sometimes in ink sometimes it’s red ink.”
Cardinals Player Development: “RHP Sam Brodersen (A+) has been reinstated from the Development List. RHP Zack Showalter (A+) has been given his unconditional release.”
Jonathan Berra: “I had high hopes for Showalter because his fastball was so unique, but unfortunately his delivery was his undoing.”
Fantasy Pros: “Zack Showalter released by Cardinals fantasypros.com/mlb/news/58557 via @Koslow_ari #ForTheLou.”
Showalter Could Never Quite Figure it Out in the Minor Leagues
Showalter, 22, was an 11th-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2022. This year, the right-hander held a 15.58 ERA in 8.2 innings pitched, eventually leading to his release.
As a prospect in the Baltimore system, Showalter was coveted for his unique fastball and his command of secondary pitches.
According to Baseball America, “He throws a slurvy breaking ball in the upper 70s that is below-average and has also infrequently thrown a firm, mid-80s changeup that also needs to improve to get to an average pitch. Showalter throws solid strikes, but his lack of secondaries adds to his reliever risk.”
In 2025, Showalter pitched across three different levels for St. Louis. He posted a solid 3.48 ERA in 31 innings pitched. Unfortunately, the small successes were flashes in the pan during his tenure as a Cardinal.
The aforementioned lone-ranger from the Flaherty trade, Prieto, was recently called up to The Lou after a hot start. In 28 Triple-A games, the infielder held a .923 OPS with almost as many walks (six) as strikeouts (7). If the Cardinals want anything to hang their hat on from dealing Flaherty, it’ll come in the form of Prieto finding big league success.
The St. Louis front office is cycling through pitching depth at warp speed. Showalter showed promise; his release was likely due to urgency rather than a lack of talent. In a new era of Cardinal baseball, President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom isn’t persisting with mediocrity at any level.
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