2026 Classified as Make-or-Break Year for Two Cardinals Sluggers

There's a lot to prove.

Aug 29, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view as the attendance is announced before the start of the eighth inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The 2026 season is going to be a rebuilding year for the St. Louis Cardinals. They traded away four former All-Stars and cleared the way for younger players to get more opportunities. Now, it's time to see what some of these younger players are made of.

The Cardinals have missed the playoffs three straight years and are likely headed for a fourth straight year without October baseball, but 2026 is still going to be a very important year for St. Louis, especially two young sluggers.

Chad Jennings of The Athletic talked about how this year might even be the last opportunity for these sluggers.

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2026 could be final opportunity for Cardinals sluggers

Apr 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (16) is congratulated by outfielder Jordan Walker (18) after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

"This is unmistakably a rebuilding year, and perhaps the last chance for former first-round picks Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman to earn their keep as a part of the Cardinals’ future," Jennings wrote.

Walker hit just .215 with six home runs, 41 RBI and a .584 OPS in 2025. Gorman at least hit 14 home runs, but hit only .205 and also had an OPS below .700. Needless to say, 2026 is a big year for both of them.

If they can finally reach their full potential, then the Cardinals could be a much better team than expected. Walker and Gorman could then be building blocks for the future. They still have a lot of potential, and if it is maximized, they could be very good players for a long time.

But time is running out for both of them. They were each successful in their rookie seasons, but have declined significantly since then, and so has the Cardinals' offense. If the Cardinals want this rebuild to go quickly, it certainly would help them out to have Walker and Gorman finally break out and show what kinds of players they can be.

When they're on, they can be fun players to watch, but it's been frustrating the past several years for Cardinals fans. Still, 2026 is a year of opportunities for the Cardinals, and the two sluggers should receive as many chances as possible to prove themselves with the Cardinals in a full rebuild.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the two of them, but there is a lot riding on their 2026 seasons.

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