What's Right With Cardinals 1 Month Before Opening Day

It was a transformational offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals and there's a lot to like heading into the 2026 season.

The Cardinals may not be contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets or Philadelphia Phillies, but that doesn't mean that the 2026 season isn't going to be important and potentially very fun. With exactly one month to go until Spring Training, we're doing a deep dive into everything St. Louis. Now, things obviously aren't perfect after three down seasons and an offseason that ended up being an exodus for veteran players. But let's dive in and discuss what is right about the organization.

There's a lot to like about St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals executive Chaim Bloom — Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Chaim Bloom/Oli Marmol
Bloom has been leading the organization for just a few months as the team's president of baseball operations and already has his fingerprints on the team. Bloom was open about the need to restock the farm system and deal veterans away and he wasn't kidding. He traded Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray away. In the process, the Cardinals have stockpiled young arms and saved cash in the long run. Plus, the club also got two draft picks in the Donovan deal. If a couple of these starters work out, St. Louis' rotation could be very good very fast.

Marmol has been around with the team over the last few years and while the club hasn't won at the clip they'd like, he's the guy for the job. Marmol has been successful in getting the most out of rosters that may not be great. He's also worked well with young players. The Cardinals are full of them in this reset period. Continuity with leadership is a good thing.

The farm system
St. Louis has the second-best farm system in baseball, according to Baseball America. In 2025, Baseball America ranked St. Louis' farm system at No. 18. That's significant growth in a short amount of time. Bloom has been known throughout his career as an executive for being able to build high-end farm systems. The success is already showing.

The infield
If the Cardinals open the 2026 season with Alec Burleson at first base, JJ Wetherholt at second base, Masyn Winn at shortstop and Nolan Gorman at third base, arguably that would be a really good infield. Wetherholt is among the top prospects in baseball, Burleson has won a Silver Slugger Award, Winn is elite defensively and has shown flashes offensively and Gorman is a serious power threat. Plus, they're all young.

Catcher
There may not be a position group in the organization deeper than catcher right now. St. Louis has Pedro Pagés, Yohel Pozo, Iván Herrera and Jimmy Crooks with big league time and No. 3 prospect Rainiel Rodriguez and No. 5 prospect Leonardo Bernal not far behind.

There's more to like about this team, but in general, the fact that the club is so young is good for the long-term direction of the organization.