The St. Louis Cardinals are starting over. When president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom took over for John Mozeliak, one era of Cardinals baseball ended, while another began. Bloom will remodel this team in his image, and that all started this offseason. Bloom traded veteran talent like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan to restock the Cardinals with young talent. With that, everyone on the roster is on notice.
MLB spring training should be a hopeful time for young players, with a chance to make a real impact and play in games against big leaguers and with future teammates. However, for some, it can also serve as a sign that a fresh start might be necessary. That's where these players come in.
Nathan Church
The Cardinals need outfield help, and Bloom knows it. Just a few weeks ago the Cards president of baseball operations was asked about the outfielders on his roster, or lack thereof, and didn't hide his feelings.
“I don't think it's a need, but it is something we would like to do,” Bloom said. “Definitely want it to be the right fit. We do have some guys in camp that we've talked about that could get some opportunity out there, just kind of bouncing around the field. … But we're continuing to look to add to that mix.”
Church is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Cardinals No. 18 prospect. Bloom has said the team has confidence he can step in if necessary, but there remain a number of capable veteran outfielders available in free agency. If St. Louis were to sign one of them – which I'd recommend they do, as despite their need to retool this is still a proud fanbase – it'd give them the opportunity to flip that player at the deadline should they perform well.
That leaves Church without a spot in the big leagues, unfortunately.
Jimmy Crooks
Crooks was the Cardinals No. 6-overall prospect last season, and could have a bright future in MLB. That time shouldn't come now, however, as it was clear just last season he's not a big league hitter (yet). Crooks hit under the Mendoza line and barring an impressive spring training, won't be making the Opening Day roster. Still, there's plenty of room in Triple-A for Crooks, who is one of the better defensive catchers in the Cards system, throwing out 29.4% of potential base-stealers in Memphis.
“With me over the past couple of years, it’s the catching aspect where I’ve made the biggest jumps by studying the hitters, learning pitchers' strengths and being as prepared as possible back there,” said Crooks. “Pitchers have a very high-stress job, and I just try and limit that by doing my job behind the plate. I work my tail off over the winter, before games and on my off-days so I can implement everything and be ready when stuff comes up.”
Crooks is an ideal third catcher when the Cardinals need him, but that won't be on an everyday basis. Expect St. Louis to stash Crooks and use his options when necessary. Pedro Pages will get the nod to start the season, and rightly so.
Bryan Torres
Torres was added to the Cardinals 40-man roster this offseason, which was all well and good until they added infielder Ramon Urias to the mix. There was no greater indictment to the Cards current infield situation than bringing in a veteran like Urias, who registered 352 at-bats in 2025. His .676 OPS is far from perfect – and he won't start, even on this Cardinals team – but he's plenty good enough to serve as a utility infielder.
That's bad news for Torres, as Redbird Rants Josh Jacobs explained:
"As a left-handed hitter, though, the Cardinals already have quite a bit of left-handed options to play around with, so he'll really need to make his mark in camp to carve out a role over the likes of Fermin, Saggese, and/or Urias...I do think it is likely an uphill battle for Torres at this point," Jacobs wrote.
That uphill battle will take a lot of convincing, and Urias has the reps and real-life experience to overtake him this spring.
Alec Burleson
Based on talent alone, Alec Burleson should be on the St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster. However, that talent could get him sent elsewhere prior to Opening Day. The same can be said about any Cardinals veteran that Bloom inherited. Burleson can play the outfield our first base. He's not a plus defender at every position, but he offers the Cardinals (or an acquiring team) a ton of flexibility defensively.
Burleson is 27 years old and had an OPS over .800 last season. The Cardinals have traded pretty much any other player of value for prospects. Why wouldn't they deal Burleson, as well? From Bloom's perspective, if you're going to tear the franchise down to the studs, why not include a player who can get a decent return package?
Cardinals fans won't respond well to any trade of Burleson, but it's the right call for a franchise stuck in the middle.
Jordan Walker
The Jordan Walker show wasn't what Cardinals fans expected. While Walker still has some potential and could thrive for another franchise, I'd stress the latter part. Walker is now 23 years old. He is a former top-10 prospect in all of baseball. For whatever reason, that talent has not translated to the major leagues.
The most likely outcome for the Cardinals is that they give Walker all the playing time he needs this season. That way, Bloom and the front office will know once and for all whether Walker is an MLB-level player in St. Louis. But, as of this writing, he is not. Walker has accumulated -2.7 bWAR in just three seasons. That's tough to do!
In 270 games, Walker has an OPS well south of .700, which is already below league average. His defense isn't anything to write home about. What is Bloom holding out for here? Yes, the Cardinals would have to take a loss on Walker's value. At one point, they could've trade him for a high-level MLB star. Those times are gone.
For Walker's sake, we hope he finds a new home soon. If not, it'll be more of the same with the Cards.