JUPITER, Fla. -- An offseason headlined by change doesn’t end once Spring Training begins.
Teams are still trying to make moves to augment their 2026 rosters, and the new-look Cardinals are no different. St. Louis is continuing to monitor the outfield market, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Thursday, searching for the right player -- a right-handed hitter, ideally -- to mesh with this young group.
“I don't think it's a need, but it is something we would like to do,” Bloom said when asked about adding to the outfield. “Definitely want it to be the right fit. We do have some guys in camp that we've talked about that could get some opportunity out there, just kind of bouncing around the field. … But we're continuing to look to add to that mix.”
Nelson Velázquez, who hit 17 homers in 53 games split between the Royals and Cubs in 2023, as well as 11 home runs in 51 Minor League games last season, is in camp as a non-roster invitee and fits the bill as a righty-hitting masher in the outfield.
Right-handed veterans such as Mark Canha, Starling Marte and former Cardinal Randal Grichuk remain in free agency. Nick Castellanos joined them on Thursday. But the Cardinals have to weigh whether signing that type of player is best for the club, since it would probably mean fewer at-bats for an up-and-coming product who could use the playing time during this rebuilding season in St. Louis.
Even without a transaction, there is an opportunity for someone to step up in this outfield while Lars Nootbaar continues progressing from offseason surgery on both heels. He is currently rehabbing in California and won’t arrive in Jupiter until a couple of days after the Cardinals’ first full-squad workout on Monday. Why the wait? The current stage of Nootbaar’s rehab involves using an anti-gravity treadmill, which is something that’s not currently on the grounds at the Cardinals’ refurbished spring complex.
Bloom said it’s too early to say whether or not Nootbaar will be full-go for Opening Day on March 26. But in the scenario that he isn’t ready, the team has confidence that Nathan Church can step in and step up.
“This is where it's really helpful for us to have gotten Church’s feet wet last year,” Bloom said. “The guy can play any outfield position, and we think there's more in the bat than what he showed at the big league level last year.”
Church, who bats from the left side and is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Cardinals’ No. 18 prospect, possesses 70-grade speed and a strong arm. But after hitting .281 with a .353 on-base percentage across four Minor League seasons, he slashed just .179/.254/.250 during his 27-game debut with St. Louis last year. Church said he did “a bunch of stuff” this winter to grow his offensive game, such as reducing how much he moves when he swings and learning a better approach against pitchers and pitch types.
“Towards the end of the year, I just started doing too much,” Church said on Friday. “Just trying to simplify and be the player I am.”
Manager Oliver Marmol admitted that this camp is an important one for Church, and the prospect has put in the work with former Cards outfielder and current coach Jon Jay, as well as hitting coach Brant Brown, to get the most out of his tools.
“We covered him yesterday with some of our directors and Minor League staff that were around him a little bit more,” Marmol said of Church, “and they all describe him as an ultra competitor and a guy that helps you win.”
When asked if there is any outfielder on the squad who is ready to break through in 2026, center fielder Victor Scott II said, “Definitely Churchy. … To see his growth and his development and the conversations that we've had, he’s ready for anything.”
With a solid spring, Church has a good shot of making St. Louis’ Opening Day roster, even if Nootbaar is available. And if the latter needs some extra time to prepare, the Cardinals are excited about what the 25-year-old can do if he’s thrust into a bigger role.
However, the possibility remains that this outfield will welcome a new face soon, possibly creating more competition for Church. The more, the merrier.
“I think competition is great, because then it makes everybody better,” Church said. “If you're always around good competition and good players, that's how you become a good team.”