The Cardinals have their 2027 spring training schedule in place, even if the bigger picture around it is anything but settled.
St. Louis unveiled the slate on Friday, but the calendar comes with a giant asterisk because the current CBA expires on December 1.
If no new agreement is reached by the end of that day, a lockout would hit, and that could put the entire 2027 season in jeopardy. For now, though, the Cardinals have a roadmap for February and March - assuming spring training survives the labor standoff or isn’t heavily altered by it.
The early portion of the schedule keeps the Cardinals close to the usual Grapefruit League neighbors. They’ll mostly see the Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and New York Mets, with those clubs all relatively nearby during that time of year.
St. Louis opens on Friday, February 19, as the visiting team against the Marlins, who share a spring training complex with the Cardinals.
From there, the trip continues with a game at the Atlanta Braves on February 21, followed by a matchup against the Boston Red Sox the next day. Boston then visits Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 2. After an off day on March 3, the Braves come to town on March 4.
The rest of the schedule is built around games with the Astros, Nationals, Mets and Marlins. One of the more notable dates comes on March 20, when the Cardinals will have a split-squad day: one group hosts the Marlins while another travels to face the Nationals.
Grapefruit League play ends on March 21, when the Cardinals take on the Astros before breaking camp.
If the labor situation somehow clears in time, St. Louis would open the regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Reds on March 25, with that set to be a three-game series.
Still, the expectation is that the lockout could drag on long enough to wipe out the spring slate entirely. For now, the Cardinals have a schedule on paper - but with negotiations hanging over everything, that could change fast.
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