Projecting the 2022 St. Louis Cardinals Wild Card roster

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to clinch the NL Central division crown. Now, as attention shifts to the postseason, who will make up the 26-man roster for the wildcard series?

Entering Tuesday’s game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals are inching ever so close to winning the NL Central. Because the Los Angeles Dodgers and NL East Champion Braves or Mets have secured byes into the NLDS, the Cardinals are set to host a wildcard series at Busch Stadium.

For the first time, the wild-card round is a best of three series, with each game played at one stadium. But just like the playoffs last season, the Cardinals face many important roster decisions.

One of the keys to the success of the Cardinals this year is the ability to mix veterans with rookies and young players. However, this has created some intrigue over which players president of baseball operation John Mozeliak and the front office put on the 26-man postseason roster.

Remember, teams can replace players in between rounds of the playoffs. For a home series with at most three games, does this mean the Cardinals will only carry three starting pitchers? What about speedsters or defensive replacements? Are there any of the aforementioned rookies that new manager Oli Marmol is less likely to trust on the postseason stage?

With eight games to go before playoff baseball, let’s project the Cardinals wildcard roster. Whether the opponent ends up from San Diego, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, it should look similar to the one we’ve seen all season.