The Cardinals may not have reached the postseason for the fourth straight year, but they did leave 2026 with something they haven’t had in a while: a real sense that the future is starting to show up in St. Louis.
That optimism is tied to the way the club handled its top prospects. Chaim Bloom still hasn’t put a timetable on the rebuild, but the Cardinals were noticeably more willing this season to push young talent into the majors.
JJ Wetherholt, Joshua Baez, Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe and Leo Bernal all reached St. Louis in 2026, a shift from the more cautious approach the organization has taken in the past.
Wetherholt looked like the team’s best path to a Prospect Promotion Incentive bonus, sitting as the Rookie of the Year frontrunner before a wrist injury knocked him off course in the second half. Had he held on and won the award, the Cardinals would have picked up an extra draft selection.
That did not happen this year, but the door is still open for 2027. Baez and Bernal both remain rookie-eligible, which gives St. Louis two more shots at a PPI reward next season.
According to Matt Eddy, both players are among the 2026 MLB debuts who kept rookie status for 2027 because they did not go beyond 45 days of active service. That keeps them in play for the 2027 Prospect Handbook and, if the system survives into the next CBA, another crack at PPI eligibility.
For a player to qualify, he has to appear on at least two of the three major top-100 lists from MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and/or ESPN. From there, he has to spend most of the season in the majors and either win Rookie of the Year in his first year or finish in the top three in MVP or Cy Young voting before reaching arbitration.
The Cardinals can only cash in once per season, and once one player earns the organization a pick, that player is no longer eligible for PPI. There is also the requirement that the player stays with his original organization, something that should not be a problem for St. Louis.
If the PPI is still around in the next CBA, the Cardinals are set up as well as anyone to take advantage in 2027. Wetherholt, Baez and Bernal all look like everyday pieces in spots where they can make an impact in a lineup that has room for them to thrive.
Bernal, the switch-hitting catcher, made a strong impression after his September debut and looks like the leading candidate to start behind the plate next season. If he keeps driving the ball and handles the defensive side well, he’ll be right in the mix for Rookie of the Year.
Baez brings a different kind of threat. The projected everyday left fielder announced himself with a three-homer debut that was historic, even if the high strikeout totals came along with it.
The power was real, though, and it was the kind of thump the Cardinals had been missing for much of the season. His year ended with an oblique strain, but the team had already been managing his at-bats to preserve rookie eligibility.
And even if he were to go past the rookie playing-time threshold, he could still help St. Louis land a pick by finishing in the top three in MVP voting.
Mathews and Hjerpe also debuted this season and will keep their rookie status, but they are not in position to bring the Cardinals an extra award-based pick just yet. Mathews could move into that conversation if he breaks onto top-100 lists before the preseason, after once appearing on all three before slipping off because of command issues.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Look Built To Pounce As Cubs Window Gets Shaky
The National League Central may look tilted toward Chicago right now, but the longer view is starting to favor St. Louis. The Cubs still have the better major league roster at the moment, yet the gap is built on a group that is getting older and a depth chart that does not have much help coming from the farm. For the Cardinals, the picture is different: a stronger system, a younger core and more roster control give them a cleaner path to staying competitive without having to buy every answer on the open market.
Chicago is going to need a meaningful spending spree just to keep up with the turnover ahead, and that kind of winter can get expensive fast when key pieces reach free agency. St. Louis, meanwhile, looks more like a club that can wait for the right moment to pounce, with the kind of starting pitching production projected for 2026 that could make the rest of the division nervous. The window is not wide open yet, but it is getting easier to see why the Cardinals believe they are moving into position to challenge for the division again soon. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Arenado Gave Arizona Hope At Third Base Again For Now
For the Cardinals, Nolan Arenados move to Arizona in 2026 became one of those trades that always invites a second look once the season settles in. He still showed why the Diamondbacks were willing to take the chance, putting together a strong start and then finding his best swing again in September, even if the middle months were rough enough to keep the overall picture from feeling clean.
Arenado finished with a .255 average, 30 home runs and a 120 wRC+, a line that still carried real value at the plate. But the deeper indicators were less encouraging, with drops in exit velocity and hard-hit rate hinting that the power production may not be as sturdy as the final totals suggest, which leaves Arizona with hope at third base for now and a decision to sort through later. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Real Third Base Question To Watch
The Cardinals farm system did not end the season with championship banners in Memphis or Springfield, but there was still plenty for the organization to keep an eye on. Jesus Baez and Tai Peete both gave the club reasons to feel better about what comes next, with Peete turning in a strong run in Double-A and Baez continuing to look like a real bat to track as he moves through the system.
For St. Louis, the timing matters because third base remains one of the clearer long-term questions on the roster. Baez, who piled up 39 home runs and stayed hot in the playoffs with a 1.156 OPS, is starting to look like a legitimate candidate to eventually answer it. The Cardinals are not there yet, but performances like this are the kind that can change how an internal battle looks a year from now. [Read more 🡒]