"We're gonna play with our hair on fire," Winn says

Don't tell Gold Glove shortstop Masyn Winn or Silver Slugger first baseman Alec Burleson the Cardinals are too young to contend in 2026.

The Cardinals' rising stars recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Cardinals Magazine, and it was very clear their expectations for 2026 are far different than most predictions. While Burleson admitted he can understand why prognosticators have the Birds picked last in the NL Central, he doesn’t see it.

"They're not with us every day," Burleson told us. "They don't know the conversations being had. They don't know the work we're putting in. They just look at a 26-man roster, compare it to others and say it's not as good, right? But we know what we've got. I think we're pretty talented for where we're at right now. We're going to try to win as many ballgames as we can and see where it falls at the end. But, I mean, they're probably sitting on the couch and just basing it off what they see on TV. They're not watching us every day."

As for the club's youth – 27-year-old Burleson is the oldest projected regular and 28-year-old newcomer Dustin May the oldest projected starter – Winn believes it could be a rallying force, even when the inevitable struggles arise.

"We're going to go out there and just play with our hair on fire and have a good time," the 24-year-old said. As far as the ups and downs, I'm interested to see. A lot of times whenever something's going bad, the veteran steps in and gets on everybody's butt. But I think this year might actually be better because we're all so young and we're all going to struggle. We're all going to go through slumps. Having guys who are younger and really like-minded is going to be good for us."

If you think that makes Winn sound sure of himself, check out the cover story in the newest edition of Cardinals Magazine. Winn and Burleson both have a lot to say about their teammates, the upcoming season and their own unique situations. See more at cardinals.com/magazine.