National League Central Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals finished 2025 with the 4th-best record in the NL Central at 78-84. Heading into the offseason, rumors swirled around many Cardinals trade pieces. Almost all of them have now found new homes as we approach Opening Day, as the Cardinals head into a bit of a rebuild as an overall younger team.

Cardinals Notable Offseason Moves

The Cardinals traded three position players and one starter this offseason. Two of those trades were with the Red Sox, so let us start with those. First, the Cardinals sent starter Sonny Gray to Boston in exchange for left-handed pitcher Brandon Clarke and right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts. Gray pitched in two seasons for the Cardinals, compiling a 4.07 ERA (3.24 FIP) with 404 strikeouts in total. Clarke is a former fifth-round pick of the Red Sox back in 2024, and he hasn’t made it past High-A, but he has potential as the current number seven prospect for the Cardinals. Fitts, on the other hand, was stellar during his short debut season in 2024, posting a 1.74 ERA over four starts. He wasn’t nearly as good in 2025 but will look to rebound in a new environment in 2026. About a month later, the Cardinals and Red Sox reconnected as St. Louis sent first baseman Willson Contreras to Boston for right-handed pitchers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita. Contreras had been a Cardinal since 2023, hitting .261/.358/.459 in 344 total games with the club. Dobbins will open the season on the injured list after 4 solid starts with the Red Sox in 2025. Fajardo is currently the no. 13 prospect in the Cardinals’ system, while Aita is another young pitcher who split time between A and High-A last year.

The next player to be traded was Nolan Arenado. He was sent to the Diamondbacks in mid-January for right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez, who was an eighth-round pick in 2025. This was primarily a monetary move as Arenado was due $42 million over the next two seasons. The ten-time Gold Glove winner has seen his offensive production steadily decrease in the past few years and will attempt to rediscover his once-elite hitting ability in Arizona. 

Finally, in early February, the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan to the Mariners in a three-team trade that also included the Rays. In return, St. Louis received pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, outfielder Tai Peete, outfielder Colton Ledbetter, and two Competitive Balance Round B picks. Cijntje is the current fifth-ranked prospect for the Cardinals, and is famous for being able to throw with both arms. He split time between High-A and Double-A last year. Peete was a former CB-A pick of the Mariners in 2023; he struggled at High-A last year and will look to find his footing in the Cardinals system. Ledbetter comes over from Tampa Bay and was a former second-round pick in 2023. He had a .715 OPS at Double-A in 2025 and will look to build on that for a push towards the majors. Overall, the Cardinals received some young prospects over the offseason who should hopefully be building blocks in 2026 and beyond.

Projected Cardinals Lineup (MLB.com)

1. Lars Nootbaar, LF (currently rehabbing for heel surgeries)
2. Masyn Winn, SS
3. Alec Burleson, 1B
4. Iván Herrera, DH
5. Nolan Gorman, 3B
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. JJ Wetherholt, 2B
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Victor Scott II, CF 

The infield has mainly returners from last year. Alec Burleson will slot into the first base role with Contreras gone, as he is looking to earn a second straight Silver Slugger. JJ Wetherholt will be the primary second baseman; he is currently the Cardinals' top prospect and the 7th overall pick in 2024. Masyn Winn will look to find the offensive success he had in 2024 and bounce back from the rough 2025 season. Similar to Wynn, Gorman will look to find his success from 2023, when he hit 27 home runs. Jose Fermin and Ramon Urias will also come off the bench to play third and second.

As for the outfield, Victor Scott II is penciled in as a defense-first centerfielder. Jordan Walker will be the starting right fielder even though his offensive numbers have slowly deteriorated since his debut season. The left field spot has been a bit of a question mark with Nootbaar injured to start the year, as Fermin, Nelson Velazquez, and others have seen time there during spring training. That will be a big question mark during the opening weeks of the season until Nootbaar returns.

The Cardinals will likely carry three catchers on their roster. Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo will handle most of the behind-the-plate duties, while Iván Herrera is more of a bat-first player, having the highest OPS on the Cardinals in 2025.

Projected Cardinals Rotation (MLB.com) 

1. Matthew Liberatore, LHP
2. Dustin May, RHP
3. Andre Pallante, RHP
4. Michael McGreevy, RHP
5. Kyle Leahy, RHP 

The rotation is filled with lots of younger pitchers, along with free agent signing Dustin May. May will look to bounce back after a rough year with the Dodgers and Red Sox. Liberatore and Pallante both threw over 100 innings for the Cardinals last year, with McGreevy just below that. Liberatore and McGreevy were both solid in their age 25 and 25 seasons respectively, while Pallante is looking to improve after a year worth -1.2 bWAR. Finally, the last rotation spot will probably be Kyle Leahy, who was good as a reliever for the Cardinals last year with a 3.07 ERA. 

The Cardinals have sent away much of their major league talent, and their 2026 season shouldn’t be judged on how many games they win but on what they find out about their young talent, such as Wetherholt.

Read other NL Central previews:

1. Pittsburgh Pirates