What Kind of Team the Cardinals Are Trying to Be in 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be very fun to watch in 2026.

There are just over two weeks to go until Opening Day rolls around for the organization. When the season begins, Cardinals fans are going to get a look at a young roster with massive upside. Right now, the Cardinals shouldn't be considered favorites in the National League Central, by any means. But this is a team that arguably could be better than expected.

The Cardinals spent the offseason revamping the roster. The two biggest trends that surfaced was that the team focused on obviously getting younger, and also stockpiling young starting pitchers. By trading Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, the Cardinals added a handful of pitching prospects and two guys with big league experience already in Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins.

The Cardinals have a bright future

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) fields the ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

As the season approaches, it appears as though the Cardinals' infield will have Alec Burleson at first base, JJ Wetherholt at second base, Masyn Winn at shortstop and likely Nolan Gorman at third base. The club has Ramón Urías, who will play a role, but the most likely infield likely will include Burleson, Winn, Wetherholt and Gorman. The outfield will feature Victor Scott II in center field and Jordan Walker in right field. When healthy, Lars Nootbaar will be in left field. Right now, the position is a bit up in the air. One option to watch is Thomas Saggese. The Cardinals have Pedro Pagés, Yohel Pozo and Iván Herrera at catcher after sending Jimmy Crooks down to minor league camp.

This will be a lefty-heavy lineup, but one with big upside.

On the rotation front, Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy are locks. Other options to consider are Fitts, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante and Dobbins, when fully ready to go.

Like the lineup, the rotation will be on the younger side. Both May and Leahy are 28 years old and are the oldest in the group. The bullpen is much more up in the air, but the rotation is loaded and has explosive options to watch out for down in the minors for the 2026 campaign, including Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews and Jurrangelo Cijntje.

So, the Cardinals have gotten much younger, will let the kids play to see what they can do and drastically improved pitching depth. This team is built to maximize young talent efficiently.