The Cardinals spent most of the 2025 season searching for a solution at third base. The Opening Day starter, Nolan Gorman, was demoted by June. Offseason acquisition Ramon Urias was injured for most of the year. St. Louis trotted out four different players for 70+ plate appearances at third base. None produced an OPS above .700.
President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom addressed the situation directly in his year-end press conference. “We have a long-term vacancy there,” Bloom told reporters, including Derrick Goold and Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
While the club could look outside the organization for a solution at the hot corner, it has plenty of internal candidates. Blaze Jordan showed flashes as a rookie before an ankle sprain ended his season. Utilityman Thomas Saggese spent time at third base to close the year and delivered a solid .730 OPS in September. Jose Fermin held his own in his first full season in the majors.
None of those candidates are particularly intriguing, though. That includes Gorman and his untenable strikeout rate. One option that is of interest would be Rainiel Rodriguez. The consensus top prospect in the system is primarily a catcher, but spent time at first base last season. The Cardinals are looking to get him reps at third base as well.
“More versatility tends to be better as long as it’s real,” Bloom said. “As long as you can get someone there with a chance to play the position [capably].”
Rodriguez certainly has the hitting profile of a corner infielder. He launched 27 homers in 115 games this season, splitting his time between High-A and Double-A. Rodriguez slashed .324/.413/.574 across the two levels. He’s still just 19 years old and has never played third base professionally, so it’s hard to imagine Rodriguez being the 2027 answer at the position. The additional flexibility could give him a better chance at securing a roster spot, though.
The rest of the Cardinals’ infield is locked in, at least for now. Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt will be up the middle for the foreseeable future. St. Louis held onto first baseman Alec Burleson at the trade deadline, so he’ll be back at the cold corner. Burleson is open to extension talks with the Cardinals, though Bloom said the organization didn’t have “anything up our sleeves right at this moment.”
Burleson has two arbitration years remaining. Without an extension, he’ll hit free agency in the 2028-29 offseason. Burleson has been a staple in the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup over the last three seasons. He’s coming off his best campaign to date, slugging a career-high 26 home runs and leading the league with 116 RBI. Burleson is entering his age-28 season. Securing him to a longterm deal would give St. Louis an imposing trio at the top of the order, along with Wetherholt and Jordan Walker.
Walker’s breakout season ended with a whimper. He hit just .172 with a bloated 36.8% strikeout rate in September. It seems an injury is to blame for the poor month. Bloom said Walker was playing through a hip issue over the final weeks of the year. The injury stemmed from a mounting workload and a stance change. Walker easily set a career high with 158 games played. He had 200+ more plate appearances than his previous high watermark.
Bloom added that Walker’s hip injury should get better with rest. The outfielder wrapped up the 2026 season with 29 homers and 22 stolen bases. He earned his first All-Star selection. Walker was even on track to shake off the dreaded Home Run Derby curse. After winning the event, he put up a strong .853 OPS in August. His stumble to end the year did drop his season-long OPS below .800, but it was still an excellent campaign for the former top prospect.
Photo courtesy of Liam Keating of USA Today via Imagn Images
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