The Cardinals are headed into their final home game of the 2026 season with a young core that should keep them in the mix in 2027, but not everyone on the roster is part of that next wave. A few names have already pushed themselves toward the exit, and three players in particular look like the safest bets to be wearing something else next year.
Nolan Gorman sits near the top of that list. At this point, it’s hard to see the Cardinals giving him another shot in 2027, especially with his second year of arbitration coming up.
He’s hit just .186/.271/.314 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 82 games and 292 plate appearances, and while his work at third base began well, it settled into roughly league-average territory as the season wore on. The bigger issue is the same one that’s followed him: too much swing-and-miss, not enough power to justify living with it.
He may land somewhere else that wants to bet on the upside, but his time in St. Louis looks like it’s closing.
Pedro Pages is in a similar bind. His bat has been too light to hold down a regular job in 2027, and with other catching options either already emerging or close to doing so, his value may be better used in a trade.
Pages has played in 81 games and is hitting .209/.263/.308, which translates to a 59 wRC+, the lowest mark of his big league career. His role has shrunk as the season has gone on, and with Leo Bernal clearly taking over as the Cardinals’ primary catcher, Pages no longer has a clear place.
If the Cardinals decide Herrera isn’t a long-term catching option and then move Jimmy Crooks for value this offseason, there’s a path for Pages to stick as a backup. But with Rainiel Rodriguez on the way and Herrera likely to have some kind of role behind the plate, a trade feels more likely.
Cesar Prieto also appears to be on the way out. Acquired from the Red Sox in the Jack Flaherty trade at the 2023 deadline, Prieto has hit in Triple-A but never brought that production with him to the majors, and there’s not much reason to expect that to change in St.
Louis. He could clear waivers and remain as organizational depth, but the likelier outcome is that he ends up elsewhere.
In 35 plate appearances this season, he’s slashing .059/.059/.071, and the defense has not helped his case. At 27, he has had enough chances for the Cardinals to know he is not part of their third-base picture next year, or even a real option for the bench.
In Other News...
Cardinals Are Starting To Feel Better About That Brendan Donovan Trade
The early returns on the Brendan Donovan trade are starting to look better for the Cardinals, at least from the standpoint of what came back to St. Louis. In the three-team deal with Seattle, the Cardinals added Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and two draft picks, and Peete in particular has given the organization a reason to feel encouraged with his recent work at Double-A Springfield.
Peetes strong stretch has been highlighted by a five-hit game in the Texas League Championship Series, the kind of performance that can quickly change how a trade is remembered around a front office. Donovan, meanwhile, has been limited to 39 games for the Mariners this season because of injuries, which only adds to the sense that the Cardinals may have found more long-term value than they first appeared to be giving up. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Enter Offseason With 3 Roster Calls That Could Get Ruthless
The Cardinals are finishing the 2026 season with a clearer sense of where the roster still falls short, even after signs of progress under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. The biggest needs remain easy to spot: the starting rotation, the bullpen and third base all look like areas that could get attention once the offseason begins, and that means some of the players currently in place may not be as safe as they once seemed.
Nolan Gorman, Jos Pags and Ryan Stanek are among the names being mentioned as possible departures as the front office weighs performance against long-term fit. For a club trying to move forward without getting stuck in the middle, those are the kinds of decisions that can turn an ordinary winter into a ruthless one, with Bloom forced to decide which pieces still belong in the next version of the Cardinals and which ones do not. [Read more 🡒]
Ivan Herrera's Cardinals Future Suddenly Looks Far Less Certain
Ivan Herrera entered the season with a chance to settle in as part of the Cardinals long-term catching picture, but the year has not exactly gone as planned. He has stayed healthy and continued to get regular playing time in St. Louis, yet the offense has slipped enough to make the situation feel less secure than it did a few months ago.
Leonardo Bernals arrival only adds to the pressure, especially after the rookie has flashed enough at the plate to make him look like a real candidate to take over behind the dish by 2027. Add in the progress of minor league prospects Rainiel Rodriguez and Jesus Baez, and Herreras path no longer looks as clear as it once did. The Cardinals still have time to sort it out, but the competition for catching roles is starting to look very real. [Read more 🡒]