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National League Central

St. Louis Cardinals

77-85 in 2026, 4th in the division, -29 run differential. Home: Busch Stadium.

The roster as it stands on 2026-11-05, projected for 2027. Preliminary: free agents are off rosters and offseason moves are still to come.

What Stands Out

Data Desk →
Expected wins
77.7
80% range
68–88
Rank
22 of 30
Lost to injury
1.5
Depth value
4.0
Left on table
1.7
Surplus
$273M
Value priced
97%
Committed to 2027
$70.2M
IL days, 2026
704 (29th-most)
IL placements, 2026
15
Players used, 2026
45 (25th-most)
Options, 2026
45
Waiver claims, 2026
5

The Long View

Wins by season

The line is this club; the shaded band runs from baseball's fewest wins to its most. 2020 was a 60-game season.

02550751001252000200520102015202020262000: 95 (clubs ranged 65 to 97)2001: 93 (clubs ranged 62 to 116)2002: 97 (clubs ranged 55 to 103)2003: 85 (clubs ranged 43 to 101)2004: 105 (clubs ranged 51 to 105)2005: 100 (clubs ranged 56 to 100)2006: 83 (clubs ranged 61 to 97)2007: 78 (clubs ranged 66 to 96)2008: 86 (clubs ranged 59 to 100)2009: 91 (clubs ranged 59 to 103)2010: 86 (clubs ranged 57 to 97)2011: 90 (clubs ranged 56 to 102)2012: 88 (clubs ranged 55 to 98)2013: 97 (clubs ranged 51 to 97)2014: 90 (clubs ranged 64 to 98)2015: 100 (clubs ranged 63 to 100)2016: 86 (clubs ranged 59 to 103)2017: 83 (clubs ranged 64 to 104)2018: 88 (clubs ranged 47 to 108)2019: 91 (clubs ranged 47 to 107)2020: 30 (clubs ranged 19 to 43)2021: 90 (clubs ranged 52 to 107)2022: 93 (clubs ranged 55 to 111)2023: 71 (clubs ranged 50 to 104)2024: 83 (clubs ranged 41 to 98)2025: 78 (clubs ranged 43 to 97)2026: 77 (clubs ranged 58 to 103)
Source: Roster Memo count of Retrosheet data and MLB standings

Players used by season

Players who appeared for the club; the band is the league's range.

3040506070802000200520102015202020252000: 46 (clubs ranged 36 to 56)2001: 40 (clubs ranged 35 to 53)2002: 44 (clubs ranged 35 to 59)2003: 42 (clubs ranged 34 to 57)2004: 37 (clubs ranged 36 to 58)2005: 40 (clubs ranged 36 to 55)2006: 41 (clubs ranged 37 to 57)2007: 45 (clubs ranged 40 to 54)2008: 43 (clubs ranged 39 to 59)2009: 42 (clubs ranged 41 to 56)2010: 42 (clubs ranged 37 to 57)2011: 46 (clubs ranged 42 to 55)2012: 45 (clubs ranged 38 to 56)2013: 44 (clubs ranged 39 to 56)2014: 46 (clubs ranged 39 to 64)2015: 46 (clubs ranged 40 to 60)2016: 41 (clubs ranged 41 to 60)2017: 48 (clubs ranged 41 to 61)2018: 49 (clubs ranged 41 to 63)2019: 43 (clubs ranged 43 to 67)2020: 44 (clubs ranged 38 to 61)2021: 51 (clubs ranged 45 to 69)2022: 51 (clubs ranged 43 to 68)2023: 52 (clubs ranged 41 to 66)2024: 44 (clubs ranged 44 to 70)2025: 44 (clubs ranged 44 to 71)
Source: Roster Memo count of Retrosheet data

Player-days on the injured list

Counted from transactions; the band is the league's range. The 10-day list began in 2017.

01,0002,0003,0004,0002015202020262015: 985 (clubs ranged 483 to 2,123)2016: 1,420 (clubs ranged 437 to 2,606)2017: 1,043 (clubs ranged 367 to 2,386)2018: 1,751 (clubs ranged 826 to 2,304)2019: 1,177 (clubs ranged 684 to 2,533)2020: 862 (clubs ranged 124 to 1,270)2021: 1,925 (clubs ranged 837 to 3,155)2022: 1,293 (clubs ranged 926 to 3,560)2023: 1,132 (clubs ranged 684 to 2,409)2024: 1,389 (clubs ranged 697 to 2,076)2025: 595 (clubs ranged 412 to 2,625)2026: 704 (clubs ranged 360 to 2,374)
Source: Roster Memo count of MLB transactions

Next Up

PlayerAgeLevelRoleProj. wins
Rainiel Rodriguez20AAHitter2.4
Jesús Báez22AAHitter2.1
Josiah Ragsdale24AAHitter1.5
Won-Bin Cho24AAHitter1.4
Deniel Ortiz23AAHitter1.4
Darlin Saladin25AAPitcher1.4
Mason Molina24AAPitcher1.3
Jack Findlay25AAPitcher1.2

Best-projected Triple-A and Double-A players in the organization who aren't on the 40-man, in wins per 600 PA or 150 IP. Thin samples are regressed hard.

Where the Money Goes

2027 cost tierPlayersCommitted
Contracts0$0K
Arbitration (est.)12$50.0M
Near the minimum26$20.3M
Not yet priced1–

Luxury-tax values where we have a sourced contract; arbitration figures are our estimates.

Biggest Weak Spots

Upgrade Board →
Spotvs. leagueFree agent optionWins gainedMarket est.
Center field-1.9Trent Grisham+2.5$34.2M
Luis Robert Jr.+1.3$19.0M
Tyrone Taylor+1.2$18.7M
Third base-1.3Alec Bohm+1.6$27.1M
Edmundo Sosa+1.3$23.0M
Eugenio Suárez+1.2$22.6M
Bullpen-1.0Adrian Morejon+1.3$22.6M
David Bednar+0.9$18.1M
Kris Bubic+0.8$16.7M

Already on the roster: Jimmy Crooks over Pedro Pagés (C); Bryan Torres over Victor Scott II (CF); Blaze Jordan over Nolan Gorman (3B). Projected at least a win better at the plate; defense isn't weighed.

Options are inferred from recent transactions, so some may have signed elsewhere. Wins gained are cut to 90%, a factor tested on bench players and assumed here. Market estimates price projected wins at $10.8M each, not what a player would actually sign for.

The Depth Chart

Catcher2.7 wins, -0.2 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Iván Herrera2731%1.6~$11.0M est.
Pedro Pagés2968%1.1about minimum
Jimmy Crooks261%0.0about minimum

First base1.6 wins, +0.3 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Alec Burleson2975%1.5~$8.3M est.
Blaze Jordan2522%0.0about minimum
Leo Bernal232%0.0about minimum

Second base3.9 wins, +2.1 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
JJ Wetherholt2585%3.7about minimum
Thomas Saggese2514%0.2about minimum
José Fermín281%0.0~$1.4M est.

Third base0.9 wins, -1.3 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Nolan Gorman2784%0.6~$2.2M est.
Blaze Jordan2516%0.3about minimum

Shortstop3.0 wins, +0.1 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Masyn Winn2585%2.7~$5.8M est.
Thomas Saggese2514%0.3about minimum

Left field0.7 wins, -0.4 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
José Fermín2882%0.6~$1.4M est.
Bryan Torres3018%0.1about minimum

Center field0.5 wins, -1.9 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Victor Scott II2683%0.3about minimum
Nathan Church2716%0.2about minimum

Right field0.9 wins, -0.5 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Jordan Walker2585%0.6~$1.2M est.
Alec Burleson2914%0.4~$8.3M est.

Designated hitter0.7 wins, +0.2 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Iván Herrera2758%1.0~$11.0M est.
Jordan Walker251%0.0~$1.2M est.
Leo Bernal234%0.0about minimum
Nolan Gorman275%-0.1~$2.2M est.
Bryan Torres3032%-0.2about minimum

Rotation7.7 wins, +0.2 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Kyle Leahy3077%1.8~$3.9M est.
Andre Pallante2981%1.5~$6.4M est.
Hunter Dobbins2881%1.3about minimum
Matthew Liberatore2881%1.1~$4.9M est.
Michael McGreevy2781%1.1about minimum
Quinn Mathews °2762%0.9about minimum

Bullpen7.5 wins, -1.0 vs. league

PlayerAgeShareWinsCost
Matt Svanson2888%1.5about minimum
Ryan Fernandez2988%1.3about minimum
Justin Bruihl3084%1.0not entered
Luis Gastelum °2689%0.9about minimum
Gordon Graceffo2788%0.7about minimum
Cade Winquest °2788%0.6about minimum
Riley O'Brien3285%0.5~$3.3M est.
Eduardo Rivera °2491%0.5about minimum
Cooper Hjerpe °2664%0.3about minimum
Hancel Rincon °2521%0.1about minimum
Quinn Mathews °277%0.0about minimum
Tekoah Roby °264%0.0about minimum

Share is of the job at that spot; a rotation or bullpen lists several jobs, so shares can add to more than 100%. A linked cost is a luxury-tax value from public reporting. How to read this.

The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at "www.retrosheet.org". Player ID links come from the Chadwick Baseball Bureau register (Open Data Commons Attribution License). Rosters, transactions, minor league and 2026 statistics, and defensive measures come from MLB sources. We publish only our own derived results. Methods are on the Model page.