5 Cardinals the team should go to arbitration with, 2 to extend, and 2 to non-tender

The Cardinals should go to arbitration (or settle on one year deals) with Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman, and Matthew Liberatore

The rest of the names on this list are fascinating for a number of reasons. All have been very productive big leaguers at various points and are still young players, but their futures with the club are all in flux to some extent.

Pallante is probably the one name on this list I could see people pushing back on the idea of extending a contract to, but I think people forget how expensive pitching is, even for someone like Pallante, who is coming off a rough campaign. He made 31 starts for the club this year, posting a 5.31 ERA and 4.68 FIP after performing the best of any Cardinals starter in 2024 once he was inserted into the rotation. Despite the poor numbers, he was still worth $5.8 million per FanGraphs, making his $3.4 million arbitration projection a good number for the Cardinals.

The club lacks pitching depth right now due to the number of injuries they have had to arms in the upper levels of their farm system, so bringing back Pallante as an option is a wise choice. He may not make the rotation, but he's another arm they can turn to if needed, or he may even bounce back in a big way.

Matthew Liberatore was one of the bright spots of the 2025 season for St. Louis, and his $2.8 million arbitration projection is a bargain. I don't think a long-term extension makes sense right now with continued concerns regarding his ability to maintain velocity over the course of a season, so going to arbitration or settling on a one-year deal would be wise.

His childhood friend, Nolan Gorman, struggled at the plate again in 2025 but did have some bright spots along the way. He has far too much potential to just cut and not offer a contract to, so he's worth extending a deal to, even if they explore a trade this offseason. The same goes for Lars Nootbaar, who had a terrible year in 2025 but has been a very productive player in his big league career thus far.

JoJo Romero, who the Cardinals probably should have capitalized on his trade value at the deadline, is for sure worth bringing back in his final year of club control. Romero was one of the best relievers in baseball last year, posting a 2.07 ERA and 3.28 FIP in 65 appearances for the Cardinals. Worth $7.1 million according to FanGraphs in 2025, his $4.4 million projection is a steal for St. Louis.