The 1 trait that could define the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026

It's been quite some time since we went into spring training with as many questions regarding the St. Louis Cardinals roster as we do this year. 2026 is going to be a year full of opportunity for young bats and arms, and on the position player side of things, versatility will be the name of the game.

Sure, those who hit will likely play, but with very few players "entrenched" in both a position and the starting lineup, where those plate appearances will come is a bit unpredictable, and that means those who are able to wear different gloves throughout the year are going to have a leg up on others.

Versatility will gives players a major leg up in the fight for playing time on the Cardinals roster

As things currently stand, I would say the Cardinals' roster (and those fighting for a spot on it) can be divided up into four categories

Guaranteed starters (4): Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, and JJ Wetherholt

Should be regulars all year, but not as certain as the guaranteed starters (2): Lars Nootbaar and Victor Scott II

Runway to start, but currently on shaky ground (2): Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman

Could start, platoon, ride the bench, or even end up in Memphis (9): Jimmy Crooks, Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo, Ramon Urias, Thomas Saggese, Jose Fermin, Nathan Church, Nelson Velasquez and Bryan Torres

In my opinion, there are only four guys who are no doubt starters this year in Winn, Burleson, Herrera, and Wetherholt, while Scott and Nootbaar could lose their jobs, but it would take really bad play (or injury) alongside one of the other guys playing well enough to snatch their job. It's likely that Walker and Gorman will begin the 2026 season with regular roles, but I do not believe they are anywhere near guaranteed roles for long if they don't perform.

That means the potential for playing time abounds on this Cardinals roster for position players, but where that playing time may come availble will very much depend on how the season is going. If Jordan Walker falters, that opens up playing time in the outfield for someone like Church, Saggese, Fermin, or Torres. If Gorman falters, those latter three or Urias could benefit.

If Herrera sticks behind the plate, then that makes opportunities for Crooks, Pages, and Pozo behind the plate harder to come by, and specifically, Crooks or Pozo may need to do enough at the plate to get opportunities at first base or DH. If Herrera falls out of that rotation, he'll take up the DH spot, or possibly even outfield or first base starts that could have gone elsewhere.

How playing time shakes out on this roster is very much a domino effect. The biggest question the Cardinals need to answer in camp is how much time Herrera spends at catcher, as that then dictates how they handle DH and the corner outfield spots. After all of that shakes out, there'll be a few guys who unfortunately have to take a trip to Memphis, and others who will have reduced roles in St. Louis but will look to carve out more opportunity

Once regular-season games come, then the clock starts on Walker and Gorman, who need to produce in order to hold off other guys on the roster, especially if those contenders for playing time are performing in their chances. Again, Scott and Nootbaar should be pretty safe playing time-wise, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Church, Velasquez, Saggese, or Fermin cut into their time.

That's why you've seen Saggese and Fermin take reps in the outfield this spring, with Saggese taking his first-ever professional corner outfield reps last week and his first appearance in center field in his entire life on Friday. Torres is already a player who is used to bouncing around the field, and all of the catchers seem to be getting some work in at first base to help with their versatility.

As long as guys keep their heads down and work, opportunities will present themselves, and if their production is up to par, those chances will become more and more frequent. Seeing how the roster and lineup unfold this spring is a top storyline, and it is surely going to continue to evolve all season long.