The Cardinals have a young roster with plenty to like, but one of their clearest problems is going to linger into next season: there still isn’t a true ace at the top of the rotation.
That matters because St. Louis was better than many expected this year and still finished short of the postseason.
After dealing away some of their best players last offseason, the organization looked headed for a full rebuild. The expectations were low, yet the Cardinals spent much of the season hanging around the playoff race anyway.
Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson helped push the offense to new heights, while younger pieces such as JJ Wetherholt, Leo Bernal and Joshua Báez got their first taste of the majors.
Even with that progress, the roster still has obvious gaps. Third base is one of them. Pitching is the bigger one.
The Cardinals appear set to lean on Kyle Leahy, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante and Quinn Mathews in the rotation, while Matthew Liberatore’s future with the club is uncertain after a difficult season. That group gives St. Louis depth, but not the kind of frontline starter a contender usually wants to trust in October or on Opening Day.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller put it plainly on Friday: "For a team that was expected to endure at least one more rebuilding year, the Cardinals had a pretty respectable starting rotation," Miller wrote. "Here's a question, though: Had the Cardinals made the postseason, who would they have wanted lined up to start in the wild card round? Or who should toe the rubber on Opening Day?
"They have a nice stockpile of middle-of-the-rotation arms, but they are desperately lacking in the ace department. Given the way they have operated over the years, we certainly don't expect them to go sign Tarik Skubal, or even one of the potentially $100M arms available beyond that two-time Cy Young recipient. Could they trade for one year of someone like Sandy Alcantara, Joe Ryan or Logan Gilbert, though?"
That’s the catch for St. Louis.
The system has more promising young arms on the way, but those pitchers need time before anyone can reasonably call them stars. And with the Cardinals still a couple of years from being true championship contenders, a major long-term investment in a frontline starter doesn’t fit the stage they’re in right now.
A trade for a high-end pitcher would be the flashy move. It just doesn’t look like the Cardinals’ move. Building up the farm system has been the priority, not shipping prospects out to chase a win-now arm.
So if St. Louis does go looking for help this offseason, the more likely path is a veteran starter with some upside, the same type of move it made with Dustin May this year.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Quietly Secured Two Voices This Dugout Needed
The Cardinals have quietly taken care of two important pieces of their coaching staff, keeping Jon Jay and Pop Warner in place for the 2027 season after both were on expiring contracts. For a club that has long valued continuity in the dugout, the moves help preserve a pair of familiar voices around the players, with Jay expected to keep contributing to outfield defense, baserunning and broader development work while also serving as a steady presence in the clubhouse.
Pop Warners return carries its own weight, too. He is set to enter his 27th season coaching in the Cardinals organization and remains one of the most respected third-base coaches in the game, a reassuring fixture for a team that benefits from experience as much as instruction. Even without a splashy headline, retaining both men gives St. Louis a little more stability in the places where it can matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Get An Unexpected Shot At Royce Lewis
Third base is already on the Cardinals long-term radar as they look toward 2027, with Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan all part of the internal conversation. But the position could also become a more interesting target if St. Louis decides to shop outside the organization, especially if a player with a much higher ceiling suddenly lands within reach.
Royce Lewis is the name to watch. The former No. 1 overall pick has the kind of power and positional flexibility that can change a lineup, and the Cardinals would have reason to keep tabs on him if Minnesota makes him available. His appeal is obvious enough: a talent with upside at a spot St. Louis wants to strengthen, even if the path to him opening up remains tied to a situation the Cardinals can only monitor for now. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Gorman Just Put Himself Back In A Cardinals Debate
Nolan Gorman has already turned his attention to the offseason, and hes doing it at Driveline, the data-driven training facility that has become a familiar stop for several Cardinals players in recent years. For a player whose 2026 season was spent battling inconsistency and shuttling through Triple-A, the setting fits the moment: a reset built around information, repetition and trying to reclaim the kind of impact bat that once made him look like part of St. Louis long-term infield picture.
The timing matters because the Cardinals still have not settled their third base situation for 2027, and Gormans name is right in the middle of that conversation. His salary picture and roster status are now part of a broader winter debate for the front office, with his offseason work offering at least one clear sign that he understands the stakes. Whether that work is enough to keep him in the mix is the question hanging over the winter. [Read more 🡒]