Dream St. Louis Cardinals lineup for the 2026 season

We're still three months away from meaningful baseball starting, but the offseason is a time for fans to dream and imagine what could happen with their favorite teams. It's a time for optimism and hope, a time to let your mind wander to the World Series.

Building a dream St. Louis Cardinals lineup for 2026 may not be as extravagant as other rosters could put together. There's not a chance the Cardinals' lineup could stack up against the Dodgers, Yankees, or Blue Jays. However, we can still create a semi-realistic lineup for the Cardinals next year that could be competitive.

If the Cardinals are going to build a dream lineup that is relatively grounded in reality, this would be the perfect lineup in 2026.

Leading off, shortstop Masyn Winn

It's time to unleash Masyn Winn.

Winn is entering his third full season in 2026, and it's time to let him become the star that he could be next year. Batting Masyn Winn leadoff gives him the opportunity to go all out in every aspect of the game.

Winn just won the first of (hopefully) many more Gold Gloves in his career. He's an athletic shortstop with excellent range and a cannon of an arm. Clearly, there are no concerns on the defensive end of the game. Slotting him in at leadoff next year will show a few things regarding Winn's future with the team.

Winn hitting leadoff cements him as the face of the franchise. If manager Oliver Marmol places him at leadoff, it's a testament to the manager's belief in his shortstop. Placing Masyn Winn first in the batting order also allows him to take the necessary next steps towards stardom. This will allow Winn to see plenty of pitches, get on base, and swipe bags next year.

In 2025, Masyn Winn saw 4.19 pitches per plate appearance, 13th in all of baseball and the highest mark on the Cardinals last year.

While Winn's overall offensive numbers weren't ideal last year, he showed signs of growth on the offensive end. His barrel rate rose from 3.7% in 2024 to 4.8% in 2025. He hit the ball harder across the board, and hit the ball in the air more often than he had in previous years. If Winn can channel those hard-hit balls as line drives, we could see more growth in extra base hits, thus allowing him to use his speed.

Masyn has been adamant for two years now that he wants to use his plus speed to his advantage, particularly when it comes to stealing bases. He'll have to bring his .310 on-base percentage up to give himself more opportunities to steal bags next year, but the potential is certainly there for a speed threat at the top of the lineup.

Winn slugged 15 home runs as a rookie in 2024. There's certainly power potential in his swing, and pairing that power with his plus speed could be a dangerous combination at leadoff. In fact, Steamer projects Winn to post a .260/.319/.403 slash line next year with 15 home runs and 12 stolen bases. That'll play at the top of the lineup.

Masyn Winn is likely the face of the St. Louis Cardinals for the next four years. Batting him leadoff in 2026 will send a message to both Winn and the fans that it's time for him to rise to that role.