Cardinals Biggest Storylines to Follow Before Opening Day

There is just over one week to go until the 2026 Major League Baseball season begins for the St. Louis Cardinals on March 26.

St. Louis will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town and it arguably is going to be a fun season. It's obviously going to look different, but fun nonetheless. The Cardinals have fully embraced the youth movement after trading away Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray. This final week of Spring Training is going to be for finalizing this young roster.

All eyes are going to be on No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt. He has been one of the team's best overall hitters so far in Spring Training. He has an .834 OPS, two homers, six RBIs and eight walks in 13 games played. That will play at the next level. The Cardinals haven't made any sort of official announcement yet, but the fanbase should be on the lookout for one.

The Cardinals have a few decisions to make

Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates after scoring against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The infield would appear to be set with Wetherholt in the mix. The most likely configuration appears to be him at second base, Alec Burleson at first base, Masyn Winn at shortstop and Nolan Gorman at third base. Center field is set with Victor Scott II. Right field has turned somewhat into a question with Jordan Walker struggling offensively, but it shouldn't be. The youth movement is here. The Cardinals need to see what they really have in Walker and the only way to do so is in big league games. So, while his role with the team at last will be a storyline to follow over the next week, there's no reason why he shouldn't be the Opening Day right fielder.

Left field is more of a question with guys like Nelson Velázquez, Thomas Saggese, José Fermín and Nathan Church all options with Lars Nootbaar up in the air. On the bright side, Nootbaar, who is another big storyline himself, said that he has been making "big strides recently."

The rotation isn't fully squared away with six options: Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Andre Pallante, Richard Fitts and Kyle Leahy. Arguably, the Cardinals should roll with all of them to open the season and eventually move someone to the bullpen in a multi-inning role.

There will be a lot to watch out for over the next few days. Fortunately, that means that real baseball is on the way.