The Cardinals may already have their desired right-handed outfielder in-house

The St. Louis Cardinals roster is beginning to take shape following an offseason fire sale. With Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras being traded, hundreds of plate appearances have opened up for young players. Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson look to be the club's two biggest benefactors of these trades, but several other players will now be given consistent playing time, something that was difficult last year.

One area of need for the Cardinals, at least according to the team's president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, is a right-handed hitting outfielder, or at least a right-handed hitter who can play outfield.

There's a chance, however, that the Cardinals already have that type of player on their roster, and he could use 2026 as a launch pad season for his career.

Thomas Saggese could be an option to see outfield reps in 2026 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals acquired Thomas Saggese at the 2023 trade deadline. They shipped Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers and received Saggese and starting pitching prospect Tekoah Roby. Saggese immediately took off offensively after the trade, winning the Texas League MVP thanks to a .318 batting average with 25 home runs and 107 RBIs. He posted a 1.064 OPS in only 33 games with the Springfield Cardinals.

Saggese's next two minor-league seasons didn't go as well for the young infielder; he had a .752 OPS in Triple-A Memphis in 2024 and a .847 OPS in 2025. These are still solid offensive numbers, but they're a step below his heights from 2023. Regardless, Saggese has been a reliable utility player for the Cardinals over the last two years.

He's logged significant innings at third base, shortstop, and second base over the last two years, and he's been strongest at second base in the early stages of his career.

There's a chance that Saggese could add a new position to his bag in 2026: outfield.

This concept was discussed last summer for Saggese when the Cardinals were trying to find more consistent reps for him. In late June, Saggese spoke with Mike Claiborne of KMOX and said that he was taking reps in the outfield before games. The hope in this move was to allow him to see more time in the starting lineup.

Saggese never played in the outfield in his minor-league career, and he hasn't logged an inning in the grass since debuting. Clearly, there will be a learning gap for the 23-year-old utility player. However, he has the raw tools to make the transition smoothly.

Saggese has plus speed, as his 28.4 MPH sprint speed last year ranked in the 78th percentile across baseball. His arm strength didn't grade out exceptionally from second base (76.6 MPH), but it was at least average at shortstop (83 MPH). He did see a 3.5 miles per hour uptick from the 2024 season in arm strength, though.

Manager Oli Marmol addressed Saggese's potential in the outfield at Winter Warm Up on Saturday morning. "I'd like to see a combination of (Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan in the outfield)," said Marmol. "We have some interesting players. This is why, when I say excitement, it will be fun to show up every day and see what these guys are capable of."

Saggese could find himself in center field on occasion as a platoon bat with Victor Scott II. His plus hit tool could play well in the corner outfield, too. If he's able to find his stroke at the plate and use his athleticism in the grass, Thomas Saggese could develop into a very reliable utility player, someone who could replace Brendan Donovan (who replaced Tommy Edman, who replaced Matt Carpenter, etc.).

Jon Jay, the Cardinals' outfield coach, received rave reviews from players like Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker last year, both players who took a step forward in their outfield defense in 2025. "I think (outfield coach Jon Jay) has been good about telling me 'Trust that first step!' I'd rather go hard and maybe misread that first step and still have time to adjust than hesitate. There are going to be balls that are hard to read, but my main goal every time now is to trust my first step and go from there," said Walker last April about Jay's coaching.

Thomas Saggese, who has appeared as the odd man out in this rebuild, could take a huge step forward in 2026. He has the offensive profile to be a prolific hitter, and his athleticism could play well in the outfield. All he needs is opportunity, and it looks like he'll have that aplenty in the upcoming season.