Final St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster prediction

We are less than a week from Opening Day and the St. Louis Cardinals roster is really taking shape. Over the last few weeks, a flurry of roster moves has made the Cardinals' intentions with their roster clearer and clearer, and now there are very few questions remaining regarding what their roster will look like when they open the season against the Minnesota Twins.

The questions that do remain though all have ripple effects on other parts of the roster. Who the Cardinals decide to go with in center field impacts what their bench will look like. The Cardinals' decision on the state of a six-man rotation will impact who makes their bullpen group. And of course, the Cardinals' lineup will look different depending on who they prioritize playing time for.

Here is my final Opening Day roster prediction based on what we have heard over the last few days.

Catcher (2) - Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages

Shocker! Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages are set to be the Cardinals catchers as they open up the season. I will say though, I'm still in the habit of typing "Willson Contreras" and then having to quickly delete his name. Old habits die hard, I guess.

While the Cardinals have not shown their hand yet regarding the playing time of their catching duo, it does seem like they'll favor Herrera to start the year. Both catchers will get a significant amount of playing time as the year goes on, but the goal for the Cardinals should be to get Herrera behind the plate as much as possible.

This is especially true when you consider how many other bats then are already struggling to get into their lineup. They really don't need to add Herrera into that DH mix any further than he already is.

Just missed: Jimmy Crooks