Middleton has a $1 million buyout in his contract and will now be a free agent after missing all of the 2024 season while recovering from injury. He posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 64/23 K/BB in 50 2/3 innings back in 2023 but suffered a forearm injury at the start of the 2024 season and underwent surgery in June. He plans to be fully healthy by spring training but will likely have to prove that to teams before anybody signs him to another contract.

Middleton inked a one-year, $6 million pact with St. Louis back in February and never wound up throwing a pitch this season in the majors. The 30-year-old opted for the season-ending procedure after several setbacks in his rehabilitation process. He should be fully healthy entering next spring and will most likely wind up somewhere else as a free agent.

Middleton signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Cardinals back in early February and won’t end up throwing a pitch this season for the club. The 30-year-old righty landed on the shelf back in mid-March with a forearm strain and suffered multiple setbacks over the last few months before ultimately opting for season-ending surgery.

Middleton suffered a setback in his rehab assignment, and the right-hander has undergone imaging to see the severity of the injury to his flexor strain. The 30-year-old has no timetable for a return to the St. Louis bullpen, but obviously the first opinion suggests this is a long-term issue for Middleton.