Is 2026 a make-or-break year for these 4 Cardinals?

Out with the old(er) and in with the new.

That has been a theme of the offseason for the Cardinals, who have traded away veterans such as Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan in separate deals that netted them a total of nine young players or prospects and two Draft picks.

St. Louis now has six Top 100 Prospects in its system and many more high-ceiling players on the way. The future is bright. But which members of the current Cards will be a part of that future?

With so many youngsters on the come-up, here are four Cardinals who may be left on the outside of the club's plans if they don't produce in 2026.

Lars Nootbaar, OF

Let's begin with the only position player on the 40-man roster who isn't under club control beyond 2027. Nootbaar was a productive hitter from 2022-24, boasting a 116 OPS+ across that three-year span. But largely due to injuries, he never played in 120 games in any of those years. Last season, he did make it through a career-best 135 games, but he was a below-league-average bat (94 OPS+). His expected weighted on-base average, which was north of .350 from '22 through '24, fell to .317 last year. (league average is .340)

The 28-year-old underwent surgery on both heels after the season, and it's uncertain if he will be ready to go for Opening Day. He should be the Cardinals' starting left fielder when healthy, but if various ailments continue to hinder Nootbaar, the Cardinals might give powerful outfield prospect Joshua Baez a chance later in the year.

• Cards pushing closer to Bloom's vision of future with each move

Jordan Walker, OF

Baez might also push Walker, a former elite prospect who has yet to tap into all of his upside. One of the key issues remains his inability to make consistent contact. When bat meets ball, Walker can make a lot of noise. He was one of only eight qualified batters to hit a ball at least 117.9 mph last season -- and the other seven names are good company.

However, Walker's strikeout, whiff and chase rates were all north of 30% in 2025. His sweet-spot and squared-up rates were near the bottom of the scale. Walker was sidelined for a total of five weeks during the year due to left wrist inflammation and appendicitis, but the 23-year-old's flaws in the batter's box aren't new. If he can't establish himself this summer, perhaps a change of scenery will be on the horizon.

Nolan Gorman, INF

Trading away Brendan Donovan ostensibly opens up more paths to playing time for Gorman, either at third base or designated hitter. Second base has been his most common position on the diamond, but that spot could belong to the No. 5 prospect in the Majors, JJ Wetherholt, come Opening Day. Regardless of where Gorman might play, he needs to hit first.

After recording 27 home runs and an .806 OPS in 2023, the lefty-swinging Gorman has logged a .669 OPS since the start of 2024, a span of 804 plate appearances. And that has been paired with an unsightly 35.7% K rate and poor grades on defense. Like with Walker, Gorman's inability to make contact on a consistent basis could make for a nebulous future in St. Louis.

Matthew Liberatore, LHP

You could put just about any Cardinals starter here given the lack of reliable arms in the rotation and the fact that, thanks to those trades, the Cardinals' pitching stockpile is immense. Those four deals brought back seven pitchers to a group that already had a bunch of intriguing hurlers down on the farm. So, the clock is ticking on anyone who has already had a chance to prove themselves in the rotation.

The 26-year-old Liberatore, a top-50 prospect in baseball a few years ago, owns a 4.63 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP across parts of four seasons and 334 innings in the bigs. He had some good K numbers in the Minors, but he has registered a subpar 18.9% rate at the highest level. With plenty of competition on the doorstep, Liberatore needs to step up.