The Cardinals spent 2026 looking like a team that might finally break through, then fading into another year without October baseball. St.
Louis finished 77-85 and third in the National League Central, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season. For long stretches, though, the group looked good enough to matter.
The problem was the summer collapse, and the bullpen was at the center of it.
That’s why the path back to the postseason starts with balance. The Cardinals are young - in fact, they had the second-youngest roster in baseball - and that kind of group can flash for a while before the grind of 162 games catches up.
Chaim Bloom made it clear after the season that the club will look around, but won’t chase noise just to chase it. The idea is to be smart, not flashy.
And if St. Louis can clean up the bullpen and add a veteran arm or two, a Wild Card push is not out of the question.
Behind the plate, Leo Bernal looks like the name to build around. He could become the club’s star at catcher, and the Cardinals would be wise to make him the main guy moving forward.
Pages still has value as a veteran who knows how to work with the pitching staff, and the offense is what it is at this point. The real question is playing time, and Bernal should be getting the bulk of it.
The infield picture is where the upside gets loud. Wetherholt and Winn give the Cardinals what might be the best defensive middle infield in baseball, and Wetherholt spent most of 2026 looking like a superstar in the making.
Burleson remains one of the more underrated bats around and should be in line for another Silver Slugger Award. Then there’s Baez, who crushed 39 homers and drove in 109 runs in the minors in 2026.
If he can translate that production to the majors in 2027, he could be the kind of offensive jolt this roster needs. Saggese also earned a look with what he did down the stretch, while Fermin proved useful in a bench role.
The outfield doesn’t need a total overhaul either. Walker, Baez and Church are the starters in this projection, and Pereira flashed enough after joining the organization to stay in the mix. Fermin can also provide depth there.
One thing the Cardinals probably need to move away from is the three-catcher setup. Herrera can hit, but the defense isn’t the selling point. The cleaner path is to let him focus on what he does best at the plate while giving Bernal even more work behind it.
The rotation has a clearer ceiling if the Cardinals can land one proven arm. Leahy, Pallante and McGreevy all earned their places, and Mathews was excellent down the stretch.
But a veteran like Shane Bieber could change the feel of the whole staff. Bieber won a Cy Young Award in 2020, yet he has pitched in just 20 games over the last three seasons.
The talent remains, and St. Louis could be a place where he rebuilds value.
The pipeline also has names coming, including Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje and maybe even Tekoah Roby.
The bullpen is where the Cardinals need the most help, and it’s also where this projection gets more interesting. O’Brien, Graceffo and Bruihl are keepers.
Gastelum, Hjerpe and Fernandez should get more chances during the season. Then there’s room for two veterans, Blackburn on the right side and Newcomb on the left.
After the mess of 2026, that group would look far more stable on paper.
In Other News...
Cardinals Face A Catching Decision That Could Reshape Their Depth Chart
As the Cardinals sort through the back half of their 2026 roster picture, the catcher situation has become one of the more important items on the docket for 2027. Rookie Leo Bernal has moved into position as the likely starter, which gives St. Louis at least one clear answer behind the plate, but the rest of the depth chart is still taking shape.
What happens next could have ripple effects beyond just one position. Pedro Pages is among the names being weighed for a backup role, but his limited offensive value and the clubs catching depth, which also includes Jimmy Crooks and Ivan Herrera, could make him a trade candidate as the Cardinals look to streamline the group before making their final call. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Rebuild Defining Choice At Third Base
Third base is shaping up as one of the more important decisions on the Cardinals road map to 2027, with the front office already looking ahead to how the position can help lift the offense. St. Louis is expected to explore both internal answers and outside help as it tries to improve the lineup, and the fit there will say plenty about what kind of roster it wants to build next.
Two very different names sit near the center of that conversation. Eugenio Suarez brings the kind of power that can change a game with one swing, while Luis Arraez offers a contact-heavy profile and the flexibility to move around the infield. The Cardinals do not have to choose immediately, but the direction they take at third could become a defining part of this rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face An Uncomfortable Nolan Gorman Decision This Offseason
The Cardinals go into the offseason with a roster that looks far less ripe for turnover than it did a year ago, which makes their decisions more pointed than plentiful. Most of the club is young and under team control through 2027, leaving St. Louis with only a handful of obvious avenues to reshape the roster, and that puts a spotlight on the players who no longer fit cleanly into the long-term picture.
Nolan Gorman sits at the center of that conversation after an uneven season that ended with a Triple-A demotion. With other internal options available at third base, the Cardinals are weighing whether to try to move him in a trade rather than let the situation drift toward a non-tender and free agency, a choice that would say plenty about how quickly the organization is willing to pivot from a once-promising bat. [Read more 🡒]