ST. LOUIS—Facing a 5 p.m. Major League Baseball deadline to set 40-man rosters ahead of the offseason Rule 5 draft, the St. Louis Cardinals made a series of moves Tuesday.

The team selected the contracts of minor league righthanded pitchers Adam Kloffenstein, Sem Robberse and catcher Pedro Pages, outrighted lefthander Packy Naughton to AAA Memphis, outrighted righthanded pitcher Wilking Rodriguez, who then elected to become a free agent, and also designated minor league lefthanded pitcher Connor Thomas.

Kloffenstein and Robberse were acquired in the July trade that sent pitcher Jordan Hicks to Toronto. 

Naughton pitched five innings over four games in 2023 but had left elbow surgery in June that ended his season. The Cardinals selected Rodriguez in last year’s Rule 5 draft but he never appeared in a game in 2023 due to injury.

Thomas spent all of 2023 in Memphis. Pages spent all of 2023 in AA Springfield and would mean four spots on the team’s 40-man roster would be taken up by catchers.

According to Major League Baseball, “Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.”