The Cardinals are heading into the winter with a payroll picture that leaves plenty of room for movement, even if the big spending spree fans might be hoping for feels unlikely.
St. Louis finished the 2026 season with the 25th-ranked projected payroll at roughly $97 million, according to FanGraphs.
The club’s projected luxury tax payroll sat a bit higher, around $112 million. That low number makes sense for a roster built around youth, with most of the team either in arbitration or still pre-arbitration.
JJ Wetherholt is one of the few exceptions after his long-term extension, which gives him a payroll hit of $2.75 million in 2027 and a luxury tax hit just over $14 million.
Beyond that, there just aren’t many established financial commitments on the books yet. That will change once arbitration figures settle in, but first the Cardinals have to make decisions on which arbitration-eligible players to tender contracts to. Only then will the payroll landscape come into sharper focus.
For now, Ryne Stanek is the main free-agent name to watch. He has a $6 million club option that does not appear likely to be picked up. Otherwise, the Cardinals’ spending is going to be shaped by young players already on the roster, prospects coming up from the minors, and whatever outside additions they make this winter.
The arbitration process will push the number upward. Alec Burleson, for example, made $3.3 million in 2026, and MLB Trade Rumors projects his 2027 arbitration salary at $8.3 million.
That projection is not locked in, but it gives a sense of the range St. Louis will be dealing with as raises start to stack up.
Even so, the Cardinals still look like a team with room to add if they choose. A return to the $131 million range they carried in 2025 would be a surprise, but getting above $100 million should be expected once arbitration, additions, and possible extensions are accounted for. The bigger question is how high the front office wants to push things from there.
The recent payroll history suggests the money is there. St.
Louis sat around $179 million in 2024, about $148 million in 2023, and roughly $156 million in 2022. Compared with that stretch, 2026 was a dramatic step down.
Financially, the Cardinals appear positioned to spend. Whether they actually do will come down to how they see themselves in this rebuild.
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