The Cardinals may have their answer at third base inside the organization, but not everyone is ready to hand Thomas Saggese the job for 2027.
St. Louis wrapped up its second straight losing season with a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday and will close things out against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even so, 2026 has been a productive year in a bigger-picture sense. Chaim Bloom stripped the roster down by moving Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan, and the Arenado deal in particular created the opening at third base.
That vacancy has been filled in stages. Blaze Jordan took over in mid-June before a season-ending injury opened the door for Saggese, and Saggese has put together a solid September. On paper, those are the most obvious in-house choices heading toward 2027.
But Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch isn’t convinced the Cardinals should settle there.
"I'd like it to be somebody who's not in the organization right now," Worthy said. "I'd like them to go out and find somebody they can put in there who helps give them at least a higher floor with their big-league club. I'd rather them be able to bolster the team next season with guys who can play and produce next season, and still have those guys (in the organization) coming, try to win next season and have options.
The challenge is that the market may not make that easy. The free-agent class at third base doesn’t look especially strong, though Eugenio Suarez could be a fit if the Cardinals want a short-term boost for both the lineup and the defense.
Bo Bichette also has an opt-out in his deal with the New York Mets, though the expectation is that he would stay put. If he doesn’t, St.
Louis could be in the mix. Another possible opening could come if the Houston Astros decline Issac Paredes’ club option to save money.
So the Cardinals do have paths to explore, but the pool looks thin. That could push them toward a trade, or it could leave them leaning on Saggese and Jordan again. They still may not be ready for a blockbuster swing while the rebuild continues, but they can at least keep looking.
For now, the third-base picture remains unsettled, and the external answers may not be much cleaner than the internal ones.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Third Base Battle Worth Watching
Third base has quietly become one of the Cardinals more interesting long-term questions, and it has put Jesus Baez on the radar in a real way. The 21-year-old infielder spent 2026 showing the kind of power that forces a front office to pay attention, finishing with 41 homers across 118 games and giving St. Louis a potential answer in the farm system if the position keeps trending the wrong way.
Baez still has some climbing to do, since he has not played above Double-A yet, but the path is starting to look easier to imagine than it did a year ago. With the current options at third base underperforming, the Cardinals could have a legitimate opening for competition in 2027, and Baez is now one of the names worth watching as that job begins to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Put Their Rotation Future Under Spotlight Against Baseballs Best
The Cardinals head into their final regular-season series carrying the weight of an 82-loss year, a mark that guarantees back-to-back losing seasons and leaves them under .500 in three of the last four. Next up is a three-game set against the Brewers, who have already clinched the best record in Major League Baseball, a reminder of just how far St. Louis has to go before it can think about contending again.
What makes this weekend especially revealing is the group the Cardinals are lining up on the mound: Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews and Andre Pallante. With the season winding down and the opponent at the top of the sport, the rotation turn comes with a little extra meaning, since these are the kinds of innings that can hint at what the Cardinals want their pitching picture to look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Prospect Mason Molina Is Raising A Bigger Rotation Question
Mason Molinas first full run in the Cardinals system has done more than justify the trade with Texas. The left-hander has settled in as a starter across Double-A and Triple-A, putting together a 3.57 ERA overall and showing the kind of strikeout stuff that tends to get attention quickly in this organization. His recent stretch at Triple-A Memphis has been even more eye-opening, as he has overpowered hitters and kept the ball out of danger over six starts.
For St. Louis, the interesting part is no longer simply that Molina looks like a useful prospect. It is where he fits next. A pitcher who is already flashing enough polish to look viable in a big-league rotation can also become a valuable piece in a different way, and the Cardinals now have a decision to keep in mind as his stock keeps rising. [Read more 🡒]