The St. Louis Cardinals finally called up 23-year-old outfielder Joshua Báez — FanSided's No. 22-ranked MLB prospect — ahead of Saturday afternoon's matchup with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. It was a long time coming, as Báez put up 34 home runs, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bases with a .901 OPS in Triple-A this season.
It didn't take long for Báez to endear himself to Cardinals fans. He sent the first pitch he saw 449 feet to straightaway center field. In his second at-bat, he worked an 0-2 count full, then cranked his second homer over the left field fence. In his third at-bat came his third home run, an oppo-taco to right. While Báez couldn't make it 4-for-4 after Chicago pulled Matthew Boyd, three home runs in his first three at-bats is enough to put Báez alone in the MLB history books. It also means these Cardinals could end up on the chopping block:
OF Victor Scott II
Victor Scott II has found ways to help St. Louis with elite speed and center field defense, but he's in Triple-A right now because the bat is untenable. Scott has appeared in 61 games for the Cards this season, with a .534 OPS and 55 wRC+. His -0.3 wins above replacement (fWAR) essentially means Scott is hurting the Cardinals more than he's helping.
Only 25 years old and under cheap club control through 2030, Scott still has ample time — in theory — to carve out a niche role in St. Louis, if nothing else. But with Joshua Báez and Jordan Walker now more or less cemented on the corners, Scott is losing priority status in the organization. Nathan Church provides comparable defensive and base-running benefits, with better numbers at the plate (.639 OPS and 77 wRC+). Church is a year older, but under club control for a year longer, with more untapped potential at the plate.
St. Louis also has Everson Pereira, a recent waiver wire pickup, who's swinging the bat well. Tai Peete, the Cardinals' No. 17 prospect at MLB Pipeline, is a year or two away from his MLB call-up with big lefty power and incredible athleticism, which he translates into the necessary range to cover center field. Odds are he will take priority over Scott as St. Louis builds its future.
INF Nolan Gorman
Nolan Gorman cranked 27 home runs with an .805 OPS in 2023, in just his second MLB season. Unfortunately, it has been downhill ever since for the Cardinals third baseman, who put up a .598 OPS and 67 wRC+ before being demoted to Triple-A. Now midway through his age-26 season, with two additional years of club control remaining, Gorman is running out of time to establish himself in St. Louis' long-term plans.
There's no denying Gorman's raw power; he can still hit the ball extremely hard. Unfortunately, his contact skills are brutally unrefined, with an elevated 32.3 percent strikeout rate that leaves him prone to extended cold spells.
Gorman's slugging was essential to St. Louis' team-building strategy as recently as last season, but with Walker and Báez breaking through, the Cards have their RBI machines in the middle of the order. Gorman was never great defensively, so it's increasingly difficult to envision a path forward.
1B Alec Burleson
Alec Burleson has mostly kept his name out of trade rumors, but he has two years left on his contract after this season. The Cardinals are ahead of schedule with their rebuild, but extending a subpar defensive first baseman might not be the top priority for Chaim Bloom at this stage. Especially if St. Louis can recreate Burleson's offensive production in the aggregate.
That's not to undersell what Burly has done at the plate this season. Only 27 years old, he's hitting .285 with 20 home runs and an .837 OPS. The big lefty hits for average and power in equal measure. He doesn't strike out much. The offense alone is extremely valuable. But, should St. Louis balk at the notion of an expensive new contract, trading Burleson at the peak of his value is the smart business move. The Cardinals can come up with enough production, hopefully, between Báez, Walker and Wetherholt at the top of the lineup.
It's also worth noting that Leo Bernal, the Cardinals' No. 7 prospect, is expected on the Major League roster sometime next season. He's a solid catcher, but could end up at first base with Jimmy Crooks and Pedro Pagés already in-house. Bernal's switch-hitting profile could be the incentive St. Louis needs to float Burleson on the open market, as several contenders would jump at the opportunity to acquire the latter's fine-tuned bat.
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