Final St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster prediction

Infield (6) - Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Luken Baker

This hasn't changed from the last prediction, but it is worth noting a few more dynamics at play.

First, Masyn Winn has been battling a wrist injury as of late, and while it does not sound like he will miss any time in the regular season, this is worth keeping an eye on in case it does develop into a bigger issue for Winn and the club.

Second, Nolan Gorman has not been able to catch fire in camp like fans would have liked to have seen from a player in desperate need of a bounce back season, but that doesn't seem to be detering the Cardinals from giving him that "runway" in 2025. But am beginning to wonder if Gorman's "leash" will be shorter than what we expected originally.

Third, the Alec Burleson and Luken Baker dynamics on this roster create some difficult logjams. Baker is a DH and first base-only player, and the Cardinals now seem to be putting Burleson into that position as well as he has not seen any time in the outfield in camp. The duo may end up platooning at DH at the beginning of the year.

Willson Contreras is the tent-pole back for St. Louis this year and the club is hoping to see Nolan Arenado rebound as their cleanup hitter this year. This infield group has the potential to be a very strong unit for the club this year, but there's also potential for them to struggle this year.

Just missed: Thomas Saggese