Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Have One Of National League's Best Building Blocks

The Cardinals have a bright future...
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins baseballs sit in a bucket against the Pittsburgh Pirates before the game at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins baseballs sit in a bucket against the Pittsburgh Pirates before the game at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

It's tough to find a shortstop of the future. But, the St. Louis Cardinals have done that.

The Cardinals have one of the top young shortstops in baseball in Masyn Winn. He had a great year last year and has been even better in 2025 despite a slow start to the campaign. Right now, Winn is slashing 276/.350/.431 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, two stolen bases, nine doubles, and 34 runs scored in 48 games played.

His offensive performance has been good, but he's even better defensively. He's in the 98th percentile in outs above average with seven. On top of this, he's in the 87th percentile in arm stretch and 94th percentile in fielding run value.

What makes his performance even more special is the fact that he's just recently turned 23 years old. There's a reason why superstar shortstops have been paid mega bucks in recent years. It's tough to find a high-level shortstop to build around. The New York Mets handed Francisco Lindor a $341 million deal, the Texas Rangers handed Corey Seager a $325 million deal, and Trea Turner got a $300 million deal from the Philadelphia Phillies to name a few.

Another contract that stands out is Bobby Witt Jr.'s $288 million pact with the Kansas City Royals. Clearly, it's not easy to find a shortstop to build around, so when you do, you want to keep them around.

That's the type of guy Winn is. He's already shown the impact that he can have on both sides of the ball.

The Cardinals have been great this season, but there will be changes this upcoming offseason no matter what happens as Chaim Bloom transitions into the president of baseball operations role. He'll have the task of building this roster for the future and luckily already has as shortstop who should be a part of the plans for years to come.

No matter what Bloom does this offseason and beyond, it should start with Winn.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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