For the most part over the past 20 years, Cardinals Spring Training has been pretty straightforward.
Sure, there always have been a few young players looking to bust their way into the big leagues -- a kid named Albert Pujols was once one of them -- but on the whole, Cardinals Spring Training has been mostly about veterans getting themselves ready for Opening Day.
That is absolutely not the case this time around. In the first year of Chaim Bloom’s tenure as president of baseball operations, the Cardinals are young, hungry and, in many instances, fighting for jobs. The whole purpose of this season is to build the future, and part of that is figuring out what you have right now. Who’s going to stand out? Who’s going to make their case for the roster, now and moving forward?
In many ways, that is the story of this Spring Training in Jupiter, Fla. So, as we head into March (and a few Cardinals head off to the World Baseball Classic), we thought we might take an early glance -- and an early guess -- as to what the Cardinals’ 26-man roster might end up looking like when they begin their season against the Rays on March 26. This could change dramatically, of course, in the next three-plus weeks. That’s what’s so fun about it.
Catchers (3): Jimmy Crooks, Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés
However, it’s worth noting that while Herrera might be listed as a catcher on the roster, that may not be the position he actually plays most of the time, after having elbow surgery in the offseason. Herrera made his spring debut as a DH on Thursday and is slated to catch for the first time Sunday. He wants to keep catching, and there’s value in having a bat of his quality at such a premium defensive position, but the most important thing is that his bat is in the lineup at all. Which is to say: One still suspects he won’t be catching much this year.
Pagés is almost certainly the Opening Day starter -- in the first spring game, he batted fourth -- but he still hasn’t put together anything close to an average season at the plate. Cardinals pitchers love throwing to him, but with this catcher logjam, it’s hard to see him keeping the starting job for much longer.
The question is who starts the season as his backup. Is it Crooks, a young player the Cardinals believe in but who couldn’t hit much during a big league cameo in 2025? Is it Yohel Pozo, who hit well in 2025 before falling off late? Pozo has taken some grounders at first base this spring, but the guess here is that he starts the season at Triple-A Memphis and is called up if Crooks or even Pagés struggles.
The real question for this group: When does Bernal get here? And how much longer after that does Rodriguez arrive?
Infielders (6): Alec Burleson, José Fermín, Nolan Gorman, JJ Wetherholt, Ramón Urías, Masyn Winn
The late addition of Urías creates several questions, including, "Does this put some upward pressure on Gorman?" The Cardinals’ would-be slugger has failed to launch for a few seasons now, and you’d have to think 2026 is probably his last chance in St. Louis. Hitting lefties is one of Gorman’s many issues to work on, something he may not have that much opportunity to do if he ends up platooning with Urías, which seems like a possibility.
Fermín has filled in anywhere and would seem to have a clear roster spot, which might crowd out Thomas Saggese, except both players have been getting outfield reps this spring. That Saggese has two Minor League option years left could lead to him beginning the season in Memphis, though the 23-year-old could change that with a hot spring.
The real story here is Wetherholt, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect. It may take a truly miserable spring to keep him out of the Opening Day lineup, and there’s still a non-zero possibility that the 23-year-old is the first Cardinal to come to the plate in 2026. The Opening Day infield is likely Burleson at first, Wetherholt at second, Winn at short and Gorman at third. The question, really, is how long Gorman remains there.
COMPLETE CARDINALS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Outfielders (4): Nathan Church, Victor Scott II, Nelson Velázquez, Jordan Walker
“We don't really have a date,” Lars Nootbaar told reporters last week, referring to when he’s likely to return from having surgery on both heels in the offseason. That is not the way a person who thinks he’s going to be ready for Opening Day talks. The Cardinals obviously want to get him back to full strength -- if just to showcase him in trade talks -- so they’re like to take their time.
With Scott and Walker (for now) sure to start in center and right, what does that mean for left field? Church -- who hit the Cardinals’ first homer of the spring -- is an ideal fourth outfielder, thanks to his speed and defensive ability. That he’s another left-handed bat on a team that has plenty of them already means he’s unlikely to start.
Presuming Nootbaar isn’t ready, the left field spot may come down to recent 40-man roster addition Bryan Torres, who slugged .905 at Memphis last year, or Velázquez, a 27-year-old non-roster invitee with clear power. (Velázquez hit 17 homers in only 53 MLB games just two years ago for the Royals and the Cubs.) The Cardinals are so desperate for right-handed thump in their lineup that you wonder if they’ll give Velázquez a chance while waiting for Nootbaar. He’s the sort of lottery ticket on which the Cardinals can afford to take a chance.
The real drama is, as always, in right field. Walker has reportedly made swing adjustments in the offseason, but we have heard that sort of thing before. He’s still so young (just 23), and still under team control for four more seasons, that the Cardinals will give him all the space he needs, but this may be the last year that’s true. MLB Pipeline No. 87 prospect Joshua Baez, another formidable physical specimen, is making a push behind Walker, so while the Cardinals will continue to give Walker every opportunity to figure things out, their patience is going to run out eventually.
Rotation (5): Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante
There has been some speculation that the Cardinals may experiment with a six-man rotation, but all told, you get the sense there’s going to be a lot of pitching experimentation with the Cardinals over the next few years.
Liberatore’s and May’s slots are locked in, and Leahy looked good enough in his first spring start to have an open lane for another spot. Pallante took a big step back from 2024 to ’25, so while he may get another shot in this rotation year, his leash is probably short. That may be true of McGreevy as well.
The nice thing is that, for the first time in a while, the Cardinals have a few options they can try out, from Richard Fitts (who looked good on Wednesday) and Hunter Dobbins, two pitchers who came over in trades from Boston, as well as faded hot prospect Quinn Mathews. It is certainly possible that Fitts and Dobbins are in the slots of Pallante and McGreevy, and Cardinals fans looking to turn the page to the new Bloom era may well be cheering for that. This early in the spring, though, I’ll play it safe and go with the two guys who were already here.
Bullpen (8): Justin Bruihl, Luis Gastelum, Tink Hence, Riley O’Brien, JoJo Romero, George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, Matt Svanson
The Cardinals will be shuffling guys in and out of the bullpen all year, but there’s reason to have optimism here. Bloom has reportedly been a big part of finding bullpen arms the last few years, even while serving under John Mozeliak, and you can see his stamp on pitchers like O’Brien and Svanson.
The only real locks here, allowing for health, are O’Brien (his calf permitting), Romero (who will be auditioning for a trade all year), Stanek and Svanson. There is likely another spot that is Bruihl’s to lose, given that he’d be the second lefty out of the ‘pen.
Everything else is kind of a guess, but I’ll be bold and save two spots for unconventional picks. First there’s Hence, whose prospect bloom has long faded -- thanks mainly to repeated injuries -- but who has the sort of power arm that could be worth an ambitious swing on Opening Day, particularly now that they’re shifting him away from starting. Then there’s Gastelum, a 24-year-old with an absolutely wild changeup. Giving him a shot in the big leagues is the sort of ambitious swing Bloom and company should be making more of this year.
That all leaves us with this as a tentative Opening Day lineup:
1) Wetherholt, 2B
2) Herrera, DH
3) Burleson, 1B
4) Gorman, 3B
5) Velázquez, LF
6) Winn, SS
7) Walker, RF
8) Pagés, C
9) Scott II, CF
Liberatore, SP
This is all a bit of a guess, of course. But the guessing, this year, is the exciting part.