4 Cardinals Are Core Pieces of the Future and 3 Clearly Aren't

Whether or not the St. Louis Cardinals earn a playoff spot by the time the regular season comes to a close, the 2026 season has done a lot of good for the organization.

When the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, it was a clear sign that the 2026 season was going to be about development, above all else. Now, of course, that doesn't mean that the Cardinals don't try to win every game. Throughout the first half of the season, it was talked about left and right now the club was playing significantly above expectations.

The second half of the season unfortunately hasn't been the same and the club sold off more pieces, including Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero and Dustin May. Again, the story of the season is development for young guys and seeing who should be a part of the core moving forward, and who shouldn't be. From that perspective, the Cardinals have definitely learned a lot.

With that being said, he are four players who should be core pieces moving forward and three who shouldn't be.

Core Pieces

JJ Wetherholt

Let's start with the most obvious one. Wetherholt entered the season with massive expectations, despite the fact that he's a rookie. He has somehow outperformed all expectations. Wetherholt has been great offensively and even better defensively. Wetherholt should be in line for the National League Rookie of the Year Award and a Gold Glove Award at second base. Plus, he already has the long-term contract. He is the biggest building block for the organization.

Jordan Walker

When the 2026 season began, this may not have been the case. But Walker has firmly cemented himself as a piece to build around, right up there with Wetherholt. These two together should be the centerpieces of the Cardinals for years to come. Still just 24 years old, Walker has figured it out. He's batting .285 with 27 homers. 96 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, and 28 doubles in 129 games played. There have been few offensive weapons better in 2026.

Alec Burleson

Although Burleson is older than Wetherholt and Walker, he should be in the mix for a long-term spot as well. Burleson has developed into one of the best offensive first basemen in baseball. He's batting .291 with 21 homers, 96 RBIs and a league-leading 33 doubles.

Masyn Winn

Winn is on the Injured List and hasn't had his best season offensively, but this is still a 24-year-old we're talking about who is elite defensively at one of the most difficult spots in the game.

Non-Core Pieces

Matthew Liberatore

Liberatore was the Cardinals' Opening Day starter this year, but he has a 5.44 ERA in 26 starts this season. The Cardinals are thin in the rotation and need him right now, but he shouldn't be in the rotation beyond the 2026 season.

Nolan Gorman

Gorman was promoted back up to the big leagues to replace the injured Winn, but this is a guy who was demoted because he was struggling so badly offensively. He's gotten plenty of chances at this point. He's not someone to build third base around for St. Louis.

Jimmy Crooks

Crooks is batting .173 right now. St. Louis is loaded with catching prospects. It doesn't seem like Crooks is the one to build around.

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