As St. Louis Cardinals head to spring training, here are answers to 3 big questions
Pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals this week, so those who measure the duration of their winters by the gap in the baseball calendar are soon to benefit from the optimism of the coming spring. That optimism may be somewhat blunted by the pace of the Cardinals’ offseason to date, which could be charitably described as glacial.
A lack of adding new faces, though, doesn’t mean there aren’t still questions to be answered. If spring training is a time for reckless optimism, then it’s also a time for examining the questions lingering on the edges of the frame which will shape the 2025 season.
1. How will the Cardinals find the innings for young pitchers?
Among the many potential paths available to the Cardinals this winter was one in which they decided to deal from starting pitching depth to open up roster spots as well as payroll room. That has not yet transpired, and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. made clear last month that he doesn’t see a need to trim further salary if the team is unable to trade Nolan Arenado.
That means a brief reprieve for both Erick Fedde and Steven Matz, who enter camp on expiring contracts but likely each with a hold on a spot in the team’s starting rotation. Matz’s grasp on a job is somewhat less secure than Fedde’s, given his prior success in the bullpen and his inability to post regular innings over the preceding three seasons. Miles Mikolas, too, is a free agent at the end of the year, and should this year echo his two most recent performances, the Cardinals will not be overly shy about making a move in his spot as well.
Whether Michael McGreevy breaks camp in the starting rotation for the Cardinals or the Memphis Redbirds seemingly depends on the health of the staff, but it would be a surprise for him to end up in the bullpen. Gordon Graceffo, on the other hand, could find himself dialed into a high-octane relief spot, allowing him to push hard in shorter stints. They’ll likely need the help; at the moment, some combination of Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy and Chris Roycroft will be leaned on to fill the vital innings handled last season by Andrew Kittredge. Graceffo could well shoulder some of that burden.
2. Can they make Arenado fit into their plans?
The Cardinals are still attempting to trade Arenado and will attempt to do so throughout camp if a deal is not consummated in the coming days. The reality of the business, though, makes a trade harder to complete the closer the calendar ticks down to opening day. Early in the season, teams are seeking to evaluate their own rosters, and the significant and complicated financial commitment to Arenado makes it tougher to trade in season than the average player.
If they can’t pull off priorities one, two and three, then, they’ll have to find at bats for young hitters with him still in place. That seemingly requires keeping Nolan Gorman at second and finding more chances for him as the designated hitter. It also likely pushes Brendan Donovan to the outfield and therefore Lars Nootbaar to center, which puts a squeeze on Michael Siani.
All of that trickles down to Alec Burleson as well. It’s hard to construct many lineups which contain all of Arenado, Burleson, Donovan, Gorman and Jordan Walker, and history seemingly demonstrates that Burleson could be on the outside looking in. That’s a tough position for a player who led the team in runs batted in last season and was only one off the team home run lead, and it further highlights the necessity (at least from a roster building perspective) of not letting Arenado continue to twist in the wind.
3. Which off-the-radar position players assert themselves as a reliable depth option?
The uncertainty around the team’s position player group has left them with a wide collection of position players on the bubble of reaching and securing a spot in the big leagues, with many paths down which spring could lead.
Thomas Saggese can play all over the infield, but with Arenado still in the fold, it’s difficult to imagine the Cardinals being happy with him languishing on the bench. José Fermín has a history of being passed up for opportunities but also not seizing them when they arrive. José Barrero was once a top prospect and is now trying to reclaim a spot in the big leagues. Matt Koperniak was as close to the edge of the roster bubble as a player can be, but has hit at every level since being signed in 2020.
There are others deeper down the depth chart. César Prieto swings at everything, but makes enough contact that he could play himself into a role. Luken Baker might finally break free of the perpetual Memphis orbit. As much as the Cardinals are flooded with possibilities, that flood creates a fog which the coaching staff will sort through in an attempt to build a flexible, competitive roster.
One player who’s dead center of the radar but still should be watched: JJ Wetherholt, the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft and the team’s top prospect. While he’ll likely open the season at High-A Peoria, he’ll move through the system quickly. It would be out of character for the Cardinals to find him a path to the majors as soon as this season, but they have pledged to enter an era in which “out of character” becomes the norm. Charting Wetherholt’s path will be an interesting stick by which to measure that change.
