With a Rule 5 draft potentially looming in an uncertain offseason, the Cardinals have four prospects who could force a real decision before the protection deadline.
That matters because any Rule 5-eligible player left off a club’s 40-man roster can be taken by another team, with the catch that the selecting club has to keep him on its MLB roster for the entire following season. For St. Louis, the tension is obvious: these aren’t finished products, but several of them have enough upside to make leaving them exposed feel risky.
The biggest name in the group is shortstop Jesus Baez, and he made a loud case in his first full season with the organization. Baez put up 39 home runs and 109 RBI in the minor league regular season, then finished the year at Double-A Springfield.
In 59 games at Double-A, he posted a 1.034 OPS, and his 2026 performance has him looking like a possible top 100 prospect heading into 2027. He’s also pushed himself into the conversation for the Cardinals’ future at third base.
I would not be surprised at all to see him make his MLB debut next season.
Baez is the kind of bat that complicates Rule 5 calls. He’s not really MLB-ready yet, but players with this level of power and legitimate big-league upside don’t tend to sit around long. The source material notes that he finished with over 40 home runs when postseason play is included, which only adds to the appeal.
Outfielder Won-Bin Cho is another bat who broke out in 2026. Across High-A and Double-A, he hit .271/.392/.501 with 20 home runs, 74 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 110 games.
The offensive production is hard to miss, even if the defensive side remains a work in progress. Those who watched him in the outfield this year saw that up close.
Still, the question is whether that bat is advanced enough to jump straight to the majors.
Left-hander Ixan Henderson presents a different kind of decision. He was limited to just 13.2 innings in 2026 because of injuries, which makes him unlikely to be selected in the Rule 5 draft in my eyes.
But Henderson has already shown enough to stay on the radar. In 2025, he logged a 2.59 ERA in 25 starts and 132 innings, building a case as either a back-end starter or a bullpen piece down the line.
He looks like someone the Cardinals will monitor closely early in 2027, but the sense here is that he doesn’t need protection.
Then there’s right-hander Jacob Odle, who may be the most intriguing name of the bunch. A 14th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Odle has long had eye-catching stuff, but this season was the first time it really came together.
In 24 games, including 22 starts, he posted a 3.19 ERA over 96 innings between Low-A and High-A. He still appears to be a few years from the majors, but his upside is real.
It’s easy to see another organization taking a shot on him, stashing him in the bullpen for 2027, and then trying to develop him as a starter later on.
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