5 position battles to watch in spring training for the St. Louis Cardinals

Spring training is right around the corner. On February 12th, pitchers and catchers officially report to camp for the St. Louis Cardinals, and in just a couple of weeks, we will have actual baseball games to watch stateside once again.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, spring training this year will be an opportunity for young players to prove their worth. The organization has been adamant all offseason that 2025 will be a year in which player development will be key. Young players who have yet to put it all together will be given a full run. Prospects will receive ample instruction in minor-league camps. A few savvy veterans will remain to provide guidance.

Up until Thursday, the Cardinals were the only team in Major League Baseball to not make a single transaction regarding their major-league roster. Since then, they've agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Twins for utility man Michael Helman.

Part of this inactivity is due to team president of baseball operations John Mozeliak not finding a willing trade partner — though he had a deal struck with the Houston Astros that was declined — for eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado.

Another issue in terms of adding to the roster has come due to financial constraints placed on the front office by ownership. Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III have been embroiled in rights disputes regarding their TV broadcasts for the last year plus. The Cardinals agreed to a deal that cut their income from the TV by about 20%, and this has made the family want to cut back on payroll to offset those losses. A new pitching lab in Jupiter, Florida, and a hiring influx of coaches and instructors have also caused the owners to pull money from the roster to other areas.

Regardless, the St. Louis Cardinals won't be without competition this spring. Several young players like Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, and Lars Nootbaar will be trying to prove that they can either perform at the highest level of baseball or stay healthy enough to be a key cog in the everyday lineup. Several positions are also left undecided at this point in the offseason.

While a player's spring training performance shouldn't be the lone determining factor in the starting lineup, it should definitely play a part.

Just last year, five relievers were battling for the final bullpen spot. Riley O'Brien, Ryan Fernandez, Andre Pallante, and John King were all fighting just days before the start of the regular season to be on the 26-man roster. Dylan Carlson and Victor Scott II were thrust into a competition to be the team's starting center fielder, at least until Carlson got injured about a week out from Opening Day.

This year, despite the roster being largely unchanged from last year, there are still several position battles to keep an eye on. The club will lean on its young players this year, so there will be ample time for rookies like Thomas Saggese, Michael McGreevy, and Gordon Graceffo to fight for a spot.

These five positional battles will be ones to keep an eye on this spring for the St. Louis Cardinals.