The Cardinals have a real opening in the outfield after dealing Lars Nootbaar, and the obvious internal fit is sitting in Triple-A Memphis: No. 3 prospect Joshua Báez.
Báez has done everything you’d want from a player forcing the issue. The 23-year-old right-handed slugger, a 2021 second-round pick, first broke through in 2025 with 20 homers and 79 RBIs in 117 games split between High-A and Double-A. He’s taken another step this season, and the numbers at Memphis are loud: 32 homers, 84 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .252/.326/.571 slash line in 98 games.
There are still swing-and-miss concerns in his profile, but they haven’t stopped the production this year. And that’s what makes the situation so interesting.
St. Louis came into 2026 with questions about right-handed power in the majors, and Jordan Walker answered a lot of that by turning in a comeback season for the ages.
Even with that, the Cardinals could still use more pop from the right side, and Báez looks like the cleanest answer.
He’s not just one of the organization’s best prospects; he’s one of the best in the game. MLB.com has Báez at No. 44 overall, and the profile suggests a player who may be ready to help now. If the power he’s shown in Triple-A translates, he could make an immediate impact.
But the timing matters. The Cardinals are not likely to make the playoffs this season, which gives them room to play the long game with a top prospect. Holding Báez a little longer could preserve his rookie eligibility for 2027, and that may be the real reason he’s still in Memphis.
To keep rookie status in 2027, Báez would need to end 2026 with fewer than 130 at-bats and 45 total days on the active roster. St.
Louis closes out the 2026 season on Sept. 27, which is 51 days away. If the Cardinals wait about another week, they could bring him up and still keep him under that 45-day line.
That would give him a full rookie season in 2027 and a shot at Rookie of the Year, with the draft-pick reward that comes with it.
So yes, the talent says Báez belongs in St. Louis. The calendar, though, may be telling the Cardinals to wait just a little longer.
In Other News...
Ivan Herrera Is Forcing A Cardinals Decision They Didn't Want
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The Cardinals do have alternatives in mind, with Herrera potentially fitting at designated hitter, first base or even in the outfield if the club decides the glove is limiting the value of the bat. For now, the bigger question is less about where his offense plays and more about whether his arm strength and receiving skills can improve enough to make him viable in the role they hoped he would grow into. [Read more 🡒]
Three Young Cardinals Are Already Fighting To Prove They Belong
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Baez brings a different kind of intrigue because the power is obvious and the upside is real, but the strikeouts keep hanging over everything he does. For a Cardinals organization trying to sort through young talent and decide who can be more than a flash, all three carry some version of the same burden: showing enough now to make it hard to leave them out of the next conversation, even if the full answer is still a long way off. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Selloff Just Set Up A Bigger Outfield Debate
The Cardinals latest moves only sharpen the conversation around what their outfield will look like next, after the club sent Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee for prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale and also dealt Lars Nootbaar to Arizona. It fits the direction St. Louis has been taking as the season has worn on, shifting attention from the present standings to stockpiling talent for what comes next.
That leaves the front office with a bigger question than just replacing production, because the outfield now feels like a spot where the Cardinals may need another major piece. One name already circulating as a possible offseason target is Yankees outfielder Jasson Domnguez, which would give St. Louis a chance to keep reworking the group while the organization continues its reset. [Read more 🡒]