The Cardinals’ offseason doesn’t come with a long list of free agents, but it does come with a pile of choices that could shape the next few years in St. Louis.
That starts with the one player set to hit the market. Ryne Stanek is the lone Cardinal headed toward free agency, and the team is unlikely to exercise his $6 million club option for 2027. Beyond that, the real work is less about departures and more about deciding which core pieces deserve long-term money now.
The biggest calls involve the bats. Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson both broke out in a big way, and both now sit in that awkward spot where the Cardinals have control for several more seasons but have to decide whether to move early on extensions.
Walker, 24, followed two rough seasons by putting together a huge year, hitting .269/.327/.466 with 29 home runs and 102 runs batted in while earning his first All-Star nod. He’s under team control through 2029, but if he keeps producing like that, the price only climbs.
St. Louis already showed this season it can go big on a young star, locking up JJ Wetherholt for eight years and $112.5 million, and Walker would almost certainly cost more.
Burleson has made his own case. The 27-year-old turned in a .279/.343/.473 line with 26 home runs and 116 runs batted in, becoming the first player in franchise history to lead the league in RBIs.
He’s spent all five of his big league seasons with the Cardinals and has been one of their steadiest lineup pieces. Burleson has said he’s interested in a long-term deal, but the club probably won’t be able to do that for both him and Walker.
If one gets the major extension, it figures to be only one of the two.
On the pitching side, Matthew Liberatore is another name worth watching, even if an extension seems less likely right now. The 26-year-old struggled to a 5.23 ERA this season, but he has been a steady part of the rotation over the last two years, making 60 starts in that span. He’s controlled through 2029, which gives the Cardinals flexibility, but it also raises the question of whether it makes sense to keep a durable arm when younger pitchers are moving up through the system.
Then there’s the arbitration class, which gives St. Louis another layer of decisions to sort through.
Iván Herrera, Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore and Masyn Winn are among the nine players eligible this offseason. Herrera made his first All-Star team and looks like he’s headed for a meaningful raise.
Pallante has established himself as one of the team’s best starting pitchers, and Winn has settled in as a solid middle infielder.
The rebuild moved faster than expected, and that gives the Cardinals a little breathing room. But the next year still matters, and the way they handle these contracts will tell plenty about how they see this roster taking shape.
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