St. Louis Cardinals fans have had to sit through four straight playoff misses and now a third consecutive losing season, but the picture heading into 2027 isn’t all gloom. This winter looks a lot different than the recent ones, and there are real reasons for supporters to keep an eye on what comes next.
For one, the Cardinals got better pitching from their young arms than many expected. Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy formed a solid group, piling up 29 wins and 32 quality starts while each finishing with an ERA under four.
Hunter Dobbins and Quinn Mathews added to that mix as well, combining for five quality starts and five wins across 16 starts. Dobbins’ path forward is more complicated after elbow surgery, but all five pitchers mentioned are still under 30.
The defense was another bright spot, and the middle infield drove a lot of it. Rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt has been a standout, sitting second in Outs Above Average among all major leaguers with 23, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, who has 26.
Masyn Winn, last year’s Gold Glove winner, has stayed right in the conversation too, tied for fourth with 18 OAA. And according to Baseball Savant, only two of the Cardinals’ 10 eligible defenders have posted negative OAA so far.
Still, the loudest reason for optimism is the bat speed and power this roster is building around. Jordan Walker and Joshua Baez give the Cardinals a pair of young corner outfielders with real thump.
Walker made noise at the Home Run Derby and has put up 28 home runs and 100 RBIs. Baez has shown his own pop, with seven homers in 100 at-bats, including three in his big league debut.
Alec Burleson belongs in that conversation too. After finally getting an everyday shot at first base, he ran with it, finishing with 23 home runs, 112 RBIs and nearly 40 doubles.
Ivan Herrera and rookie JJ Wetherholt add even more to the mix, combining for 35 home runs and 119 RBIs. With that group in place, the Cardinals should have plenty of offense to dream on next season.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face Tough Calls After Two Core Pieces Came Up Short
The Cardinals 2026 season ended the way too many of their recent ones have, with another losing record and another reminder that the rebuild still has real work ahead. Two of the organizations most important young pieces, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore, both fell short of expectations, leaving St. Louis to sort through what their next steps should look like as the front office tries to keep the plan moving without wasting time on sunk costs.
Gorman never found much rhythm at the plate, was sent to Triple-A before getting a late-season recall, and left behind more questions than answers about his fit going forward. Liberatore, meanwhile, struggled to establish himself as a reliable starter, and his uneven season puts the Cardinals in a tricky spot as they weigh contract decisions, including whether to negotiate or non-tender players who were once seen as part of the core. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Already Face A Huge Decision On One Rising Prospect
The Cardinals rebuild under the new front office has already brought a different kind of pressure, and Rainiel Rodriguez is becoming a big part of that conversation. The 19-year-old catcher has moved quickly, impressed at High-A and Double-A, and even picked up Baseball Americas Minor League Player of the Year award, which is the sort of ascent that forces a team to start thinking beyond the usual development timeline.
For a club sitting near the bottom of MLB payroll, Rodriguez represents both promise and a potential pivot point. St. Louis is still sorting out which players will be part of its next core, but the questions around Rodriguez are arriving faster than expected, including whether the Cardinals would consider a long-term extension before he has even reached the majors. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Top Prospect Is Making A Future Lineup Question Louder
Rainiel Rodriguez has gone from promising name in the Cardinals system to one of the loudest reminders that the organization may have a lineup decision coming sooner than later. The 19-year-old was named Baseball Americas Minor League Player of the Year after a season split between High-A and Double-A, and the bat traveled with him. Once he reached Double-A Springfield, he kept producing at a level that put him squarely on the prospect map and gave St. Louis another middle-of-the-order possibility to consider.
Rodriguez finished with a .999 OPS, 23 home runs and a .328 batting average in 87 games after the promotion, a run of production that only sharpened the conversation around what comes next. For the Cardinals, the question is no longer simply whether he can hit in the minors, but how long it might take before his presence starts to press on a future major league lineup. [Read more 🡒]