Cardinals dream Opening Day lineup after free agency: Youth movement begins in St. Louis
After a few years of trying to force a competitive team on the field when the St. Louis Cardinals obviously needed to rebuild, John Mozeliak and the St. Louis front office have finally bit the bullet and jumped into the deep end of a full-scale rebuild.
This could include letting Paul Goldschmidt walk in free agency, which they're already doing. Alongside this, players like Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras could find themselves on the trade block. Whether St. Louis commits to the rebuild to the point where these players are all traded is still left to be seen, but it's certain that the Cardinals won't be buying on veterans as they have in the past.
Their team, rotation, bullpen and lineup could all look much different in 2025 compared to what they put on the field in 2024. But that's a good thing. St. Louis will take a step back to take a big leap forward.
What would the Cardinals' dream Opening Day lineup look like to kick off 2025?
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Cardinals Opening Day 2025 dream lineup after free agency
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Masyn Winn | SS |
2 | Jordan Walker | RF |
3 | Willson Contreras | 1B |
4 | Alec Burleson | DH |
5 | Brendan Donovan | LF |
6 | Yoan Moncada | 3B |
7 | Iván Herrera | C |
8 | Thomas Saggese | 2B |
9 | Michael Siani | CF |
Former top prospect Jordan Walker finally sticks in the lineup for good
One of the bigger disappointments in recent Cardinals history has been Jordan Walker, but before you start with the torches and pitchforks, Walker is far from a bust. He's an incredibly talented prospect with tremendous raw power, athleticism and one of the best arms in the game. But he hasn't found his footing or his swing in the big leagues just yet.
This offseason, Walker is going to find his footing and he's going to return to St. Louis ready to start 140 games or more in 2025. He's a huge piece of their future and with the Cardinals rebuilding now, there's no excuse not to play him every day. Even when Walker struggles, he needs to see consistent playing time for the first time in his career in order to get going in the big leagues.
Cardinals elevate prospect Thomas Saggese to take over at second base
When rebuilding a team, it's crucial for the young players and the top prospects to get the most playing time, especially after such an abysmal season from the Cardinals offense in 2024. One of the Cardinals top prospects, Thomas Saggese, is ready for the big leagues and he should find himself in the Opening Day lineup if he has a productive offseason.
Saggese, 22, is the Cardinals 4th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Last season he slashed .253/.313/.438 in Triple-A with 20 home runs and 23 doubles. He looked like a big-league infielder the entire time he was down there. The young righty was brought up for a short 18-game stint in the big leagues where he slashed .204/.250/.306.
He'll have the offseason to continue developing after he got a taste of big league pitching to end the 2024 campaign. Saggese is a huge piece of St. Louis' future and much like Walker, he needs to receive consistent playing time to find his swing at the highest level.
St. Louis trades Nolan Arenado for prospects, signs Yoan Moncada to play third base
One of the more intriguing storylines of the Cardinals offseason is whether or not they will trade most of their stars. With Nolan Arenado, my assumption is that they will deal him, though they would need him to clear any trade due to his no-trade clause.
But with the free agency pool so incredibly shallow in the infield, there will be a lot of teams that are willing to part ways with top prospects to acquire one of the best third basemen in the game. Teams like the New York Mets and New York Yankees are candidates to swing a trade for Arenado.
If they were to trade Arenado, they would need to make a move to replace him at third base. One intriguing option would be Chicago White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada. Moncada has been good when healthy, but he hasn't been healthy recently. He would be a great change of scenery add on a one-year contract that the Cardinals could consider moving at the trade deadline if he performs well.
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