The Cardinals have a lot of moving parts to sort through this offseason, but one need is starting to stand out above the rest: center field.
That’s the spot St. Louis may have to attack first, even with other holes still on the board.
President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has made clear over the season that some of the next contending core is already in place, and the roster does have a number of positions that look settled for now. Alec Burleson is at first base, JJ Wetherholt at second, Masyn Winn at shortstop, Joshua Baez in left field, and Jordan Walker in right.
Ivan Herrera can fit at designated hitter or catcher, and Leo Bernal, who just debuted for St. Louis, along with top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez, could be part of that catcher mix too.
The pitching staff is a different story. The Cardinals have several young arms already on the Major League roster who should be around for a while, but the top of the rotation may still need to come through the system or be added later. The bullpen carries the same kind of uncertainty.
Even so, the two spots where the Cardinals seem to lack a true long-term answer right now are center field and third base. Third base appears to be the place they want Jesus Baez to grow into over the next few years, or possibly a spot where Rainiel Rodriguez could eventually get at-bats. Center field is the more obvious problem because there isn’t a clear in-house answer yet.
That point was echoed by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on 101 ESPN during a conversation about Nathan Church and Victor Scott II in center. Goold’s take was simple: "The Cardinals' center fielder of the future is not currently on the roster."
That doesn’t mean the answer has to come from outside the organization, but it does leave St. Louis with options.
The club can also afford to be patient. At this stage of its build, there’s no reason to force a move.
There are prospects on the way who could eventually fit the job. Josiah Ragsdale, Tai Peete, Won-Bin Cho, and 2026 first-round pick Trevor Condon are all names to keep in mind.
Condon is the youngest of that group, not turning 19 until January and having played only six Low-A Palm Beach games so far. He did hit his first professional home run the other day, and his upside is obvious whenever he’s on the field. He could wind up as the long-term answer in 2-4 years, but that timeline still leaves plenty of room for the Cardinals to explore other possibilities now.
Ragsdale and Peete arrived in trades this year. Ragsdale came over in the Dustin May/JoJo Romero deal at the deadline, and some around the game consider him a top-100 prospect.
In 107 games this season, he’s hitting .307/.429/.570 with 24 home runs, 52 extra-base hits, and 62 RBI, and he has been overwhelming Double-A pitching since the promotion. At 22, he looks like a real candidate to debut sometime next season.
Peete, acquired in the Donovan trade, has posted a .921 OPS this season at age 21. He’s also in Double-A and can punish right-handed pitching, even if lefties have given him trouble.
Cho has been with the Cardinals since 2022 and has taken a big step forward this year, putting up an .891 OPS while playing for Springfield. He’s 23, though, and his defense is the biggest question in the group.
None of that guarantees the Cardinals have their answer in-house, but it does buy them time and flexibility. If a free-agent option like Daulton Varsho or Trent Grisham makes sense, they can go that route. If a trade target like Jackson Merrill, Jake McCarthy, Colton Cowser, or another center fielder becomes available, they can explore that too.
But if the price isn’t right, St. Louis doesn’t need to chase the position just to chase it.
The Cardinals should be more competitive in 2027, but they’re still at least a year away from their true new contention window. Forcing a center field move now could backfire, especially if one of these younger options is ready sooner than expected.
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