Royce Lewis could be a potential fit at third base for the St. Louis Cardinals

Both Chaim Bloom, the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations, and manager Oliver Marmol have said recently that third base is a clear area of improvement as the Cardinals enter 2027. While internal options like Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, and Blaze Jordan will likely receive preferential treatment, there are several outside options who could also play well at the hot corner. One such player is Royce Lewis of the Minnesota Twins.

Lewis, a former No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017, will enter his second year of arbitration this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors projects Lewis to receive $5.1MM via arbitration. That's a hefty salary for a player who has had his fair share of struggles throughout his career.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote recently that Lewis could be a non-tender candidate for the Twins.

Minnesota has been looking to reduce payroll of late, and if they can save money on Lewis's contract, they will. They also have Brooks Lee available to play third base and Josh Bell at first base. Bell, who finished 2026 with a .738 OPS, 96 RBIs, and 21 home runs, has a $10MM mutual option that will probably be exercised.

That leaves Royce Lewis as a potential odd man out, and the St. Louis Cardinals should jump on that opportunity if Lewis is indeed non-tendered.

Royce Lewis would be a near-perfect fit for the St. Louis Cardinals at third base.

Lewis split time last year between third and first base with 82 games at first and 40 games at third. He also spotted 16 games at second base, so there's some positional flexibility there.

Let's start with Lewis's power potential. He set a career-high home run mark in 2024 with 16 long balls in only 82 games. He hit 15 home runs in only 58 games in 2023. This past year, Lewis hit 15 home runs, drove in 57 runners, and hit 24 doubles. There's clear power potential from the right side with Royce Lewis.

He does, however, come with many downsides, and that's why the Twins might non-tender him in the first place.

Lews has exceeded 500 plate appearances just once in his career (2026, 509 PAs). Prior to this past year, his career high of plate appearances was just 403. He's had two ACL tears along with other various leg and groin issues. He's also seen his ISO fall from it's peak in 2023 (.240) to a new career low in 2026 (.154).

Defensively, Lewis has been reliable at all three positions he's played in his career.

Throughout his career, Royce Lewis has been at least serviceable across the infield.

Royce Lewis is actually a very good fit with the Cardinals. If St. Louis opts to play Nolan Gorman primarily at third base, Lewis could be a good platoon option against left-handed pitchers, of whom he has a career 108 wRC+. If the Cardinals want to use Thomas Saggese as a super-utility infielder and play him at third base against a southpaw, Lewis could easily shift over to first base to spell Alec Burleson from time to time.

There are still some steps that need to happen, but if Royce Lewis is indeed non-tendered by the Minnesota Twins this offseason, the Cardinals should seriously consider pursuing him.

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