The Cardinals can't afford to quit on Gold Glove infielder amidst offensive woes

For the most part, 2026 has been full of new highs for the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans alike. The past three years have been mostly uninspired baseball, causing the downfall of a once-great franchise. However, one player hasn’t caught on to the new vibes, and it’s your starting shortstop, Masyn Winn. 

Winn, 24, was viewed as a foundational piece moving forward after his electrifying rookie campaign. In his first season, the Cardinal shortstop racked up 5.1 bWAR, held an OPS of .730, and cemented himself as an everyday MLB player. 

In the following two seasons, Winn has regressed measurably at the plate. He locked in a Gold Glove award in his second year, but his OPS dropped to .673. Fortunately, his elite defense maintained steady value. 

This year, the same formula holds, but the offensive drop-off has continued. So far, through 112 games, Winn has a slash line of .245/.321/.328. Good for an OPS of .648, placing him 15% below league average at the plate. 

All season long, Winn has fouled off good pitches, chased off the outside corner, and popped up constantly. Earlier in his career, he was at his best when he stayed through the baseball and went to the opposite field. Aim for the second baseman’s head, right? 

Now, Cardinal fans and even analysts have started to wonder: Is this really a player to build around? Or simply a defensive wizard who will come and go when his arbitration years are up?

Let’s break it down and see what this is really about. 

What makes Masyn Winn expendable? 

Offense: As previously stated, Winn’s offensive decline has been heavily criticized. This season, the Cardinals rank 25th in shortstop OPS. The majority of that production falls on Winn’s shoulders. It’s a tough go when you have a player of his current offensive caliber manning the five-hole in your lineup, functioning as padding for the big-time sluggers. The mindset for an opposing pitcher with runners on base and Alec Burleson up? Walk him, and get to Winn. Or whoever else is there. The fact of the matter is, when Winn is hitting, the Cardinal lineup runs deep, but right now, in a career-worst offensive season, he’s become sort of a null set at the plate. His bat speed is poor, he struggles to barrel the ball, and at times, the slug is nonexistent. 

JJ Wetherholt: This will be brief, because it deserves to be. Some fans and analysts have discussed the prospect of moving star rookie JJ Wetherholt to shortstop in light of his defensive wizardry. This, in a word, is shortsighted. Wetherholt has less than one full MLB season under his belt. That's less than one full season of production, making good plays, competing. And to take in all of that success, look it over, and say, "Yeah, let's change this," is the exact mindset that derailed Jordan Walker, alienated countless other prospects, and landed the Cardinals in this hole to begin with. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Wetherholt is a brand new shiny Corvette. Moving him to shortstop based on a hunch that he'll play well at a new position is like slapping a neon-green paint job on said Corvette, and then drilling holes in the exhaust, hoping it gets louder.

However, besides the offense, Winn is doing plenty to aid the Redbird renaissance.  

What makes Masyn Winn so special? 

DEFENSE & the little things: Winn currently ranks 16th in all of baseball in OAA (per Baseball Savant). He’s the type of defender who passes the eye test, sabermetric equations, and any kind of exam you roll his way. Whether it’s a backhand play in the hole accompanied by a 95mph rocket across the diamond, or a should-be infield hit turned into a surefire out at the hands of a Gold Glove fielder, Winn has turned the Cardinal infield into a “no-roll zone.” This season, he ranks in the 98th percentile in fielding run value and range (OAA). He accompanies that with a ranking in the 97th percentile in arm strength. Countless times this season, Winn has turned a double play that shouldn’t have been possible, or taken over a game with his stellar execution in the field. Not to mention he’s a well-above-average baserunner, and has already nabbed ten bags this season.

If you’re tired of the numbers, let’s get some real-life examples going. Real tangible ones for the folks at home who feel queasy at the mention of Paul DePodesta’s brain child (shoutout Moneyball).  

How should Cardinal fans process the Masyn Winn experience? 

When Yadier Molina first became a St. Louis Cardinal, he could barely hit his weight. 

There was no pop, contact was a maybe at best, and if you remember correctly, he was rather skinny. Then-manager Tony La Russa had one thing to say on the matter: “He’s here to catch.” 

And that he did. 

Molina caught the final out of a World Series for St. Louis. He caught his way to nine Gold Glove awards and four Platinum Glove awards. 

Oh, and he figured out how to swing it, too. 

“Yadi” ended his career with a Silver Slugger award, a .277 lifetime average, and countless clutch moments for Cardinal fans to remember for a lifetime. 

The chances that Winn becomes to shortstop what Molina was behind the plate are stark at best. However, the reality is, he’s already so good that it shouldn’t matter!

You shouldn’t need to be the greatest defender of all time at your position to warrant playing time without offensive potential. That seems like a tall order, and no matter how competitive MLB becomes, players like Winn will have roster spots. 

The best player comp for what he currently represents is the Blue Jays’ Andres Gimenez. 

Gimenez, 27, was dominant during his time with the Cleveland Guardians. He racked up multiple Gold Glove awards and an All-Star nod. 

Since his venture north of the border, he’s regressed exponentially but continues to provide value–largely due to his excellent work in the field.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, what Gimenez managed at second base, Winn exudes at the shortstop position–a much more premier spot on the diamond. For this reason in specific, Winn is foundational. 

Gold Glove shortstops aren’t on the shelves at Schnucks. Nor are they sprouting in the Cardinals’ minor league system. Winn could barely hit his body weight and sleepwalk to a near two-win season. 

Because of this high floor, the Cardinals have something in him that they lack in other players throughout their system and roster: dependability. 

Lots of the upcoming talent for St. Louis is extremely polarizing. At their best, they take over games, hit 450ft home runs, and strike out the side. On the flip side, ball four is a regular on the mound, and strike three feels the same in the box. 

Even when Winn strikes out, he’s valuable. When he grounds into a double play, he turns one the next inning. When he pops out with runners in scoring position, he takes a hit away from the opposition to save a run. 

The outs you see made on offense come back around in the field, and although it may not always feel like it, Winn is helping the Cardinals, well, win! 

St. Louis doesn’t need to sign its shortstop to a long-term mega deal, and an extension might be too much to ask for amidst his decline, but all of this trade talk jumps the gun. 

Winn’s high floor is something the Cardinals should look to build around–a surrounding regular, in the lower third of the lineup, stealing outs, day in, and day out. 

And if the bat comes around too, Winn bombs are more than welcome. 

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