Inside The Cardinals

Predicting Cardinals’ 2026 Opening Day Lineup Under Chaim Bloom

Who will be back for the St. Louis Cardinals?
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) salutes the fans after he was ceremonially removed before the start of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) salutes the fans after he was ceremonially removed before the start of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have a lot of decisions to make this upcoming offseason but that doesn’t mean that the club will look completely different by the time Opening Day comes around in 2026.

There are going to be pieces leaving the organization and others staying. No-trade clauses will play a role and the front office will have its work cut out for it. So, what could an Opening Day lineup look like?

Here is a prediction for the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup:

Who will return for the Cardinals?

St. Louis Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt
Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; National League infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases during the second inning against American League at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

2B JJ Wetherholt
SS Masyn Winn
3B Brendan Donovan
C Iván Herrera
1B Willson Contreras
DH Alec Burleson
RF Jordan Walker
LF Nathan Church or outside addition
CF Victor Scott II

SP Michael McGreevy

With this prediction, Wetherholt or Donovan could go either way between second base and third base. Nolan Arenado is traded and Nolan Gorman is either traded or a bench player. The Cardinals would give Jordan Walker another year to work through kinks and also the Cardinals trade Sonny Gray away and roll with McGreevy as the team’s No. 1 starter moving forward.

For Contreras, he has shown no inclination to waive his no-trade clause yet. Donovan could be moved, but with a rebuild seemingly here, keeping a veteran like Donovan around arguably would be best to help with all of the young guys. Lars Nootbaar is someone I was up in the air with, but think he would bring back good value in a trade.

Herrera is going to undergo surgery this offseason to try to return to catching duties. If he's good to go, expect him there Opening Day and Jimmy Crooks on the bench. If Herrera isn't ready to catch, have Crooks at catcher, Herrera at DH, and move Burleson to the outfield. Changes are coming, there's no doubt of that. Gray made it clear on Wednesday that he could be open to waiving the no-trade clause. That has been the case with Nolan Arenado. as well. Now, it's only a matter of seeing how the Cardinals build out from there. Getting Wetherholt on the Opening Day roster would be big and exciting for the organization.

More MLB: Cardinals Officially Miss Playoffs With Big Decisions Coming

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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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