The St. Louis Cardinals made their last significant move of the offseason on Monday, trading away fan favorite and 2025 All-Star Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners in a three-team deal that netted them a strong return.
While the reviews for the Cardinals deal have been positive thus far, none of those prospects or draft picks will be impacting the roster in the near future, so moving Donovan does create a sizable hole in their everyday lineup. The Cardinals have also moved veterans Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado this offseason, so the team is going to look very young in 2026.
Here is what the Cardinals lineup may look like now that Donovan is gone.
St. Louis Cardinals projected lineup after trading away Brendan Donovan
- 2B JJ Wetherholt
- SS Masyn Winn
- 1B Alec Burleson
- C Ivan Herrera
- LF Lars Nootbaar
- RF Jordan Walker
- DH Nolan Gorman
- 3B Thomas Saggese
- CF Victor Scott II
While the order may look different come Opening Day, these are the nine players, along with catcher Pedro Pages, who are expected to see the most playing time going into the 2026 season. How the Cardinals handle Herrera's playing time behind the plate will have a strong impact on how the Cardinals deploy their lineup, as Pages and Jimmy Crooks could be consistent factors in the lineup, assuming Herrera DHs a lot.
JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals' top prospect, is expected to be the club's second baseman this year, and I could easily see him settling in as their lead-off hitter as soon as Opening Day, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them ease him into the top of their lineup, preferring to bat him lower in the order to start. Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn have been frequent lead-off options for manager Oliver Marmol in the past, but if I had to bet, I would say that Marmol is going to trust Wetherholt very quickly.
There is a lot of variance in this lineup projection. Even if the Cardinals bring in a veteran right-handed bat, they will still have a major weakness against left-handed pitching. Most of their youth have the potential to take a major step forward this year, but it also wouldn't be surprising to see almost any of them struggle.
