ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals have non-tendered four players, including two position players and two pitchers, ahead of Friday’s deadline.

A “non-tender” decision essentially means the Cardinals opt not to extend a contract offer to such players for the 2023 season while under team control, leading them to become free agents before the usual service time that would otherwise happen.

The Cardinals chose to non-tender four players. The most notable: Backup catcher Andrew Knizner, who has developed a strong rapport with pitchers and improved offensively despite limited playing time over the last few seasons.

Pitchers Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford and infielder/outfielder Juan Yepez, who came up with a big postseason home run in 2022, were also non-tendered.

Knizner, Hudson, Woodford and Yepez all become free agents. The Cardinals active 40-man roster now stands at 36 out of a possible maximum of 40 players.

Perhaps the moves give the Cardinals some flexibility to add players via free agency and trades in the offseason. Lead executive John Mozeliak has reiterated a desire to add up to three starting pitchers before the 2024 campaign. The non-tendered players could give the Cardinals a little more flexibilty in doing that.

The Cardinals, along with the 29 other MLB teams, had a Friday deadline of 7 p.m. CT to decide how many eligible players would be tendered contracts. Players with this fate can either agreed to a contract offered by the Cardinals or push for more in arbitration.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.