5 Cardinals who shouldn't be back with the team in 2027

The 2026 season is coming to an end for the St. Louis Cardinals today, and that also means we are unlikely to see some players currently on their 40-man roster back with the club in 2027.

The Cardinals need to keep churning this roster to acquire and develop more young talent. Some players took advantage of that opportunity this year, while others did not. And now it's time to make some tough decisions on the guys who did not prove their value to the club in 2026.

For various reasons, each of these players should not be back with the club when spring training rolls around next year.

Victor Scott II

Let the Cardinals actions speak for themselves. They have made Victor Scott II ride the bench since his return from Triple-A at the beginning of the month, and they've made it clear that he is not their preferred center fielder moving forward.

With Nathan Church and Everson Pereira already on the 40-man roster, plus the potential that Joshua Baez could play in center field some, and the likes of Bryan Torres, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese showing versatility in center, there just isn't a need for Scott on the roster moving forward.

For his big league career, Scott is slashing .203/.280/.256 in 810 plate appearances, with his defense and base running only helping raise his total career fWAR to 0.9. In 2026, those numbers are even worse, slashing just .190/.269/.252, which amounts to a 50 wRC+.

I'll always root for Scott and hope to see him breakout for another organization, I just don't see the Cardinals running it back again next year.

Nolan Gorman

It's been three consecutive seasons of dissapointing regression from Nolan Gorman after his breakout 2023 campaign, and now it's time for the Cardinals to cut their losses and let Gorman try and figure it out elsewhere.

Gorman is slashing .188/.274/.314 with nine home runs in 296 plate appearances for St. Louis this year, with his 64 wRC+ being the worst of his Major League carer and his 31.8 K% still being a major issue. He saw some progress defensively since moving back to third base, but even then, he's also had plenty of moments where it does not look good either.

Third base remains a major question mark for the Cardinals moving forward, but it's time to stop seeing if Gorman can become that solution.

Matthew Liberatore

For part of the 2025 season, it seemed like Matthew Liberatore finally emerged as a promising young starting pitcher. Through his first 10 starts of that season, Liberatore had a 2.73 ERA and 2.58 FIP. in 59.1 innings of work, but the train has fallen off the tracks since.

In his last 50 starts, Liberatore has a 5.20 ERA while averaging just under 5 innings pitched per outing. Opponents are slashing .287/.345/.478 against him, and he's struck out just 20.7% of the batters he has faced. Liberatore's eRA is the third-worst among 55 starters with at least 240 innings pitched over that stretch, and most of his advanced metrics rank among the bottom 10 starters as well.

Liberatore is entering his second year of arbitration this offseason, meaning he will be getting a raise over his $2.26 million salary in 2026. Liberatore has shown success as a reliever before, so that wouldn't be a bad idea to try again with him, but I don't see how his days as a starter make sense to go on much longer.

Cesar Prieto

It just hasn't worked out for Cesar Prieto at the Major League level, as he's posted a -0.6 fWAR in 18 career games and -57 wRC+. With all the middle infielders and utility players the Cardinals are already trying to fit into their roster right now, there doesn't seem to be room for Prieto on the 40-man roster anymore.

Jesus Baez is Rule 5 elgible this offseason, so the Cardinals likely need a 40-man spot to use on him that Prieto is currently occupying. I don't see Prieto being back with the organization next year unless he returns on a minor league deal.

Pedro Pages

Should the Cardinals capitalize on Ivan Herrera or Jimmy Crooks' trade value this offseason, Pedro Pages makes a lot of sense to move on from. Or if the Cardinals officially move Herrera off the catcher's spot, that could delay his end date with St. Louis as well.

Pages has clearly moved into a reserve role for St. Louis, but he does have value as a backup catcher for other organizations. With Rainiel Rodriguez coming soon and Leo Bernal laying claim to the starting catcher job Pages' fit with the team is making less and less sense as the days go on.

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