A veteran of three MLB seasons, Veneziano started his big league career with a two-game cup of coffee with the Royals in 2023. He followed that 2 1/3 innings with 13 1/3 IP with the Royals and Marlins in 2024, then 25 frames with Miami and St. Louis last season. The Cardinals claimed Veneziano from the Marlins’ waiver wire shortly after the trade deadline, and after cutting him from the 40-man roster in November, Veneziano opted for minor league free agency.
The 28-year-old had a 3.98 ERA over his 40 2/3 innings in the Show, including a 4.68 ERA over his 25 innings in 2025. His career strikeout rate of 21.4% is decent, although his 9.4% walk rate from 2025 was on the high side. Control became an increasing problem for Veneziano, and he had more walks (20) than strikeouts (18) during his 24 2/3 innings of Triple-A work last season, with a 5.11 ERA, reflected in his time with the top affiliates of the Marlins and Cardinals.
Veneziano has started just one of his 40 Major League games, and that was an opener during a bullpen game in Miami last June. He moved to a bullpen role in 2024 and worked almost exclusively as a reliever at all levels in 2025, so Veneziano could be looking to revive his starting prospects overseas. At the very least, Veneziano will get some extra financial security instead of just earning a minimum MLB salary for the time he spends in the majors in 2026.
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