Let’s check in on individual Cardinals as the 2025 schedule winds down. This season was set aside as a “reset,” a characterization that should be more accurately described as the first year of a rebuilding program.
The Chaim Bloom administration officially takes over the baseball operation after the season. Bloom and associates have had close to a full year to observe the performance and progress of every St. Louis player. Bloom himself has been with the Cardinals, observing, for the last two seasons. That working knowledge will help Bloom make his roster decisions in setting up the team for 2026 and beyond.
I won’t use the term “runway” to describe any of the players. Many have been auditioning, but that does not apply to the more experienced veterans.
I want to do this in a different way. I’ll review every position player, one by one, and add a comparable player from past St. Louis teams who is close to matching the offensive performance of a current Cardinal. I’ve also aligned these comps based on their positions.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to incorporate a player’s age as part of the study, but this isn’t intended to be a comprehensive term paper. And some of the names you’ll see will get you smiling.
In all cases except two, I set the minimum at 300 plate appearances in the season. You will also see wRC+ referenced for each Cardinal and just remember that a 100 wRC+ is league average offensively. Above 100 is above average. Below 100 is below average. Next week I will repeat the same exercise with St. Louis pitchers.
Thank you!
JORDAN WALKER
wRC+: 64 which is 36 percent below league average offensively.
Bernie comments: Walker is having one of the poorest seasons offensively by a Cardinal since MLB expanded to a 162-game schedule in 1961. Among the 301 outfielders that had at least 300 plate appearances in a season since ‘61, only 15 put up worse numbers than Walker.
Closest performance/positional comps: Michael Siani in 2024, Vince Coleman in 1986, Dexter Fowler in 2018. Except that Siani played exceptional defense and was a superb baserunner. Coleman had an exciting rookie year in 1985 but struggled terribly in ‘86. Fowler was reduced by injuries in 2018 and batted just .180 with a weak .576 OPS.
Bottom line: this is a bad, nightmarish season for Jordan and another wasted year. His current minus 1.1 fWAR, if it holds, would be the fifth worst by a St. Louis outfielder in a season since 1961. One other thing, I’m not sure what Walker apologists are talking about when they insist he has nothing to prove at the Triple A level should the Cardinals decide to put him there at some point next season. What, do these folks think Walker conquered Triple A? How daffy. In 118 games in Triple A, Walker has a .257 average, .331 onbase percentage and .414 slug for a .745 OPS. That’s hardly a batting line that represents dominance against Triple A pitching.
Trade him, or keep him? I don’t think Walker will be moved after the season, and I’d be surprised if Bloom traded him. But at this point Bloom is unpredictable, so I shouldn’t assume anything. Walker’s trade value is a significant factor – one way or the other.
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ALEC BURLESON
wRC+: 120 which is 20 percent better than league average.
Bernie comments: Burly has always been an impressive contact hitter who doesn’t strike out much. But this season his better swing decisions have led to more damage when he connects. His .451 slugging percentage is 31 points higher than his SLG in 2024.
Closest performance/positional comps: Among outfielders, Burleson’s 120 wRC+ is the same as Rick Ankiel in 2008 and one point higher than Ray Lankford in 2000, and a point better than Andy Van Slyke in 1986.
The bottom line: if we issued grades based on offensive performance, Burleson would get at least a B+ for making the changes that have boosted his offense in 2025. He’s been a willing student and his buy-in with batting coach Brant Brown is paying off for him. His all-around game is no more than just OK, but Burleson is here to hit. And he’s hitting. And it’s been good to see. In his last 380 plate appearances Burleson has a .294 average, .491 slug, 30 extra-base hits and an .836 OPS.
Trade him or keep him? I would say keep him. But then again, the Cardinals have a glut of left-handed batters, and Burleson’s trade value has probably gone up. But I also believe this: Bloom likes contact hitters. And Burly is definitely that.
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NOLAN ARENADO
wRC+: 83 for the third baseman, which is 17 percent below league average offensively.
Bernie comments: In 2022, Arenado’s offensive performance was a career-best 49% above league average. Less than three full seasons after finishing third in the NL’s MVP vote, Arenado’s current wRC+ is down 66 percent from his career-peak in ‘22. In 2022, Arenado ranked among the top four percent of MLB hitters in Batting Run Value. This season he’s in the bottom 16 percent of all hitters in Batting Run Value.
Closest performance/positional comps: Gary Gaetti in 1997, Terry Pendleton in 1988, and Ken Reitz in 1979. Pendleton bounced back nicely in 1989, but he had youth on his side. Arenado does not. Ken Reitz had one of his better seasons in ‘79. Gaetti was 38 in 1997 but rebounded with “plus” offense in 1998 at the age of 39. Does this mean there’s hope for Arenado, who will be 35 next season? That seems like a stretch to me.
Trade him, or keep him? The more pertinent questions: will there be a trade market for him after this season? And will Arenado expand his list of acceptable trade destinations? Is ownership willing to eat a large percentage of the contract money owed to him?
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NOLAN GORMAN
wRC+: 103, which is 3 percent above league average offensively.
Bernie comments: Gorman’s legion of haters are an interesting group. They dislike him so much that it makes them really, really angry when he does well. If Gorman stays above league average through the end of the season, he’ll only have one below-average offensive season among his first four MLB seasons. He has a career slugging percentage of .430 and has homered every 18 at-bats. Over his last 66 games, Gorman has a 12.5 percent walk rate, .464 slug, and only Willson Contreras and Alec Burleson have a higher wRC+ among the other Cardinals. But when Gorman went through a brief slump recently, the wolfpack bared their teeth.
Closest performance/positional comps: I used third base for Goman’s position because that’s his natural spot and he could be there as the starter in 2026. (Assuming Arenado gets traded. Who the heck knows?) Anyway, in terms of wRC+ the closest comps to the 2025 version of Gorman are David Freese in 2013, and Ken Oberkfell in 1981. In terms of slugging percentage, the closest comps are Freese in 2010, Joe Torre in 1973, and Mike Shannon in 1968. I like those comps.
Bottom line: Gorman has made progress with his plate discipline; his chase rate and strikeout percentage are down this season. And the fools don’t realize that this is an important first step. I wish Gorman would get his strikeout rate down to about 26, 27 percent. And I do wish he’d hit more home runs. But for all of his inconsistency, Gorman has averaged a home run every 18 at-bats in the big leagues. And this season he’s improved defensively at third base after a shaky start.
Trade him or keep him? I would say keep him for this reason: since 2022, among left-handed hitters age 25 or younger that have 1,500+ plate appearances, Gorman’s is fourth in home runs and 6th in slugging percentage. If we want to drop the minimum to 1,000 plate appearances, Gorman would still be 8th in this group for best slugging percentage, and his home-run count would still be fourth. The Cardinals aren’t exactly overstocked with power hitters.
Since the new Busch Stadium opened in 2006, Gorman has the fourth-highest slugging percentage in the venue (.438) among Cardinals’ left-handed hitters that have made at least 700 plate appearances in the building. That slug is higher (.442) vs. right-handed pitchers at Busch. If the Cardinals trade Gorman and he starts bombing 30+ homers per season for a new team, his haters will be shrieking about the Cardinals making a massive mistake to give up on him.
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LARS NOOTBAAR
wRC+: 103, which is 3 percent above league average offensively.
Bernie comments: He’s talented, but the consistency is erratic, and there’s a history of injuries disrupting his momentum. That’s not his fault, and the talent remains tantalizing. I’ve lowered my expectations but still see Nootbaar as a key piece in what’s to come. He has such a fine all-around game but we just don’t see it enough.
Closest performance/positional comps: Dexter Fowler 2019, Lonnie Smith 1984, Curt Flood 1964, Willie McGee 1996, Tommy Pham 2018. That sure is intriguing group outfielders based on performance and personality. Nootbaar fits.
Bottom line: Nootbaar looms as an offseason trade candidate, but I think September could influence Bloom’s decision, and much depends on how many teams are interested in Nootbaar – and what they’re willing to make a deal for him.
Trade him or keep him? Nootbaar, who is making $2.95 million this season, is having his worst season statistically. His salary will grow higher in 2026, and again in ‘27, and Noot is eligible for free agency in 2028. In part because of the rising costs of keeping him, Nootbaar seems expendable. If I was forced to make a prediction, I’d name Brendan Donovan and Nootbaar as the Cardinals most likely to be traded before next season.
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MASYN WINN
wRC+: 92, which is 8 percent below league average offensive.
Bernie comments: Winn’s excellent defense is his primary identity right now, and he should receive his first Gold Glove at the end of the season. But Winn, still only 23, has the tools to provide above-average offense during his career. The Statcast data is encouraging, but given his youth there’s got to be a path to improvement.
Closest performance/positional comps: It’s an impressive list of glove men. Dick Groat 1964, Ozzie Smith 1990, Tommy Edman 2023, and Dal Maxvill 1968.
Bottom line: The best is yet to come, and Winn certainly should be a candidate for an early-career contract extension that will keep him with the Cardinals for a long time. With a team-best 3.5 fWAR, Winn supplies plenty of value for a guy who hasn’t hit as well as expected in 2025. I would like to see more encouraging numbers in his Statcast metrics; there’s a lot of blue-coded categories, which is bad. But Winn has time to get a lot better. I don’t believe he’s a trade candidate but unfortunately I do not have access to Chaim Bloom’s brain.
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WILLSON CONTRERAS
wRC+: 121 which is 21 percent higher than the league average offensively.
Bernie comments: He’s still a formidable hitter, and has played first base with more skill than most anticipated. (He ranks fourth at the position in Outs Above Average.) Contreras will turn 34 in May of next season, and this year his wRC+ has fallen by 20 percent from last year. His slugging percentage is down, but still healthy. And if you’re wondering about age-related decline, you should know that his bat speed is elite – among the top five percent in the majors. And his bat speed has improved, by a lot, compared to where it was in 2023 and ‘24. One unexpected problem: after having a very good 11.5 percent walk rate over his last two seasons combined, the Contreras walk rate this season has slipped to 7.8%, and his onbase percentage has gone from .380 last season to .338 in 2025.
Closest performance/positional comps: Joe Torre 1969, Keith Hernandez 1977, Paul Goldschmidt 2023. Not bad.
Bottom line: Contreras still has the fire inside, and his competitiveness helps to fuel his teammates. I’m not sure why he isn’t more popular among Cardinals fans. He will make $18 million again in 2026. FanGraphs gives him a value figure of $19 million for his performance this season, and that number will be somewhat higher by the end of the season.
Trade him or keep him? I’m not opposed to trading Contreras, but he has no-trade protection and seems to like it here. But if part of Bloom’s strategy is a determination to make significant payroll cuts, Contreras certainly fits the scenario. And a good percentage of Cardinals fans would probably approve.
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BRENDAN DONOVAN
wRC+: 111, which is 11 percent above the league average offensively.
Bernie comments: for the second time in three seasons, Donovan’s career has been disrupted by injuries. Donovan competes hard, and pushes himself physically, and we’ve seen him play hurt in a way that negatively impacts his performance. Donovan was playing through the pain and discomfort of multiple injuries this season before withdrawing to go on the IL last month. In his last 55 games before heading to the Injury List, Donny batted just .229 with a low .640 OPS.
Closest performance/positional comps: DeLino Deshields 1998, Jedd Gyorko 2016, DeShields 1997. But Donovan has extra value because of his ability to play second base, shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots.
Bottom line: The positional versatility is a huge plus. And when Donovan focuses on making pitchers work and drawing walks, he brings an essential element to an offense that is short on that style of hitting. He commands much respect from teammates and competitors alike, and there is some power to his game. He’s a smart, savvy player. But Donovan will be 29 years old next season, and his body absorbs a lot of punishment, and that raises concerns.
Trade him or keep him? As I wrote earlier, Donovan and Nootbaar are probably the Cardinals most likely to be dealt. He’s being paid $2.85 million this season, and that salary will increase in each of the next two seasons, and he can become a free agent before the 2028 season. Bloom’s challenge is mostly the timing of it all. If Donovan wears down in 2026, he’ll lose value on the trade market. This coming offseason seems to be the right time to make a move, and teams will covet Donovan because he’s a grinder who can play just about anywhere on the field.
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VICTOR SCOTT II
wRC+: 80, which is 20 percent below league average offensively. But it’s better than his rookie wRC+ (40) in 2024.
Bernie comments: He’s an exceptional fielder with excellent range that covers a lot of ground – east, west, north, or south – from his patrol post in center field. Scott’s speed makes him nearly impossible to catch when he sprints to steal a base; this year he’s made it 31 times in 33 attempts for a 94 percent success rate. And last season Scott swiped five pillows in six tries. The offense isn’t there yet. But the offensive potential is there.
Closest performance/positional comps: Harrison Bader 2019, So Taguchi 2006, Luis Melendez 1972. I find it encouraging to see Scott’s wRC+ match so closely to that of Bader and Taguchi.
Bottom line: The Cardinals have received little offense from the center field spot over the last two seasons – the worst in the majors at 37 percent below league average – but Scott has two important skills (speed and defense) and that it makes sense to give him more time to develop offensively.
For some perspective, consider this: in 1986, the 24-year-old speedster Vince Coleman had a 66 wRC+ that put him 34 percent below league average offensively. Scott, now playing in his age-24 season, is 14 percent better than Coleman was offensively in 1986. And Coleman – like Scott now – was in his second big-league season at age 24 in ‘86.
To be more specific: in 1986, Coleman had a .232 average and a .581 OPS. Scott has a .622 OPS this season because his onbase percentage and slugging percentage are both higher than Coleman’s figures in ‘86. Coleman had a lot more stolen bases (107) that year, but a lot of that had to do with Whitey Herzog’s strategy and success rate in repeatedly pulling off double steals.
I would add that Scott has more defensive value than Coleman did in ‘86. Scott plays center, and Coleman played in left field. And that matters.
– Coleman, FanGraphs WAR, in 1986: 0.9.
– Scott, FanGraphs WAR, in 2025: 1.6. And Scott’s WAR will be higher by the end of the season.
Trade him or keep him? Scott is a keeper. He’s the second-best center fielder in the majors this year based on Outs Above Average, and would be cuckoo to give up on his bat so soon.
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PEDRO PAGES
wRC+: 80, which is 20 percent below league average offensively.
Bernie comments: Pages emerged as a strong defensive catcher, and part of that has to do with earning the pitchers’ trust with his game-planning and pitch selection. Pages is also one of the best catchers in 2025 at pitch framing, ranking 9th overall by Statcast in framing runs. And he’s also 9th in strike percentage on “shadow” pitches that could go either way.
Pages is 17th among catchers in caught-stealing rate above average. He’s 19th in arm strength. He’s 20th in exchange rate – the time it takes to transfer the ball to the hand and get off the throw.
Pages has an obvious weakness: blocking pitches. He ranks 53rd at the position in blocks above average. And with Pages catching, the Cardinals have the fourth highest total of combined passed balls and wild pitches (39).
Closest performance/positional comps: Yadier Molina 2015, Molina 2021, Tom Pagnozzi 1992, Tony Pena 1989. Not bad! But all of those dudes won Gold Gloves. (Pena earned his as Pirate.) Pages has the potential to win a Gold Glove. Time will tell. And it’s also a matter of where he fits into the Chaim Bloom-led future.
Bottom line: So I don’t know whether to call Pages “overrated” defensively, because he does a lot of things well at an important and difficult position. But I am skeptical of his impact on pitching performance, simply because the Cardinals rotation has collapsed since the end of May. And that isn’t on Pages, per se … but if he’s so magical in making pitchers better than they are, then why does this team rank 28th in starting-pitching ERA (5.45) since late May?
I applaud what we’ve seen from Pages offensively in recent weeks; since the beginning of August he’s batting .333 with a .704 slugging percentage and 1.176 OPS. But is this just a hot streak? Pages has made some changes that have paid off, and his surge on offense is an intriguing development.
Trade him or keep him? It depends. Rookie Jimmy Crooks has more upside than Pages and is more capable offensively. There are two other highly-regarded young catchers in development: Leonardo Bernal, and Rainiel Rodriguez.
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IVAN HERRERA
wRC+: 130, which is a robust 30% above league average offensively.
Bernie comments: Among the 12 Cardinals that have at least 200 plate appearances this season, Herrera leads in wRC+ and OPS and is second in onbase percentage and third in slugging. A natural-born hitter. And after a lull offensively Herrera has rebounded with a .318 average, three homers and a .773 slugging percentage going into this weekend’s series against the Giants. Having to deal with two injuries messed with Herrera’s flow, and was a factor in his downturn. He can hit.
Closest performance/positional comps: This is tough because I know he’s a hitter … but I don’t know if he has a home defensively. Catcher? Left fielder? DH? Maybe a move to first base at some point? To be determined. But as for comps – positional attachments aside – Herrera’s 130 wRC+ puts him in a group that includes Tim McCarver 1967, Ken Boyer 1964, Curt Flood 1967, Keith Hernandez 1976, Ted Simmons 1979, Reggie Sanders 2005, and Bernard Gilkey in 1993. Hey, good company!
Bottom line: He has a power bat, draws walks, and has shown the moxie to break away from hitting slumps. It ain’t easy to find dudes that hit for average, inflate a high onbase percentage, do damage with robust power, and limit their strikeouts to a rate that’s under 20 percent. Despite playing time that was limited because of the injuries, Herrera still leads Cardinals’ hitters in Win Probability Added – and that’s a good measure of positive impact.
Trade him or keep him? Keep, keep, keep. This is a talented hitter without any real holes in his offensive game. The Cardinals just have to figure out what to do with him defensively.
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THOMAS SAGGESE
wRC+: 73, or 27 percent below league average offensively.
Bernie comments: We haven’t seen enough to make any sweeping conclusions. The rookie needs time to show us who he is, and what he can become. Saggese’s .616 OPS ain’t much to look at, but it’s better than his .556 OPS in his first exposure to major-league pitching last season. And Saggesse is making small-steps progress, batting .260 in his last 21 games.
Closest performance/positional comps: First of all, Saggese has had 208 plate appearances for STL this season, so I set the minimum at 200 PA to look for matches. Offensively the closest comps are Jerry Bucheck 1966, Tommy Herr 1980, Aaron Miles 2006, and Greg Garcia 2018.
Bottom line: Saggese, still only 23, was a good and confident hitter in the minors, and I expect we’ll see more of that offense surface in the majors. But this requires patience, and Saggese has an aggressive approach at the plate, and he would help himself by lowering his strikeout rate and increasing his walks. But his positional flexibility is a plus. In his 79 games with the Cardinals over the last two seasons, Saggese has played 343 innings at second base, 125 innings at third base, and 115 innings at shortstop.
Trade him or keep him? I assume the Cardinals want to keep him and give Saggese more time to show more upside. If Bloom has a lot of possible trades swirling around, I guess we could see Saggese included in a multi-player deal that would have both teams trading two or more players … but that’s just conjecture on my part.
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YOHEL POZO
wRC+: 84, which is 16 percent below league average offensively.
Bernie comments: He’s done a nice job for the Cardinals this season, stepping up to help after Herrera’s first injury (when Herrera was still catching.) Pozo is particularly effective off the bench, batting .353 as a pinch-hitter and .400 when entering as a substitute. But the pitchers have gotten the best of Pozo since late July; he’s batted .113 with a .349 OPS in his last 21 games. He’s played well defensively.
Closest performance/positional comps: Pozo has 161 plate appearances this season, so I had to lower my sample size to around 150 PA. But generally speaking, Pozo (as a hitter) matches up with Steve Swisher 1978, Darrell Porter 1984, Eli Marrero 1998, and Matt Wieters 2019.
Bottom line: He’s a terrific person and a beloved teammate. Pozo has been better than anticipated. He’s actually been one of the highlights of STL’s 2025 season,
Trade him or keep him? I don’t have a clear answer on this. If the Cardinals plan to go with a combination of Pages and Jimmy Crooks in 2026, then Pozo would be a third catcher if the Cardinals want to keep him in reserve in the minors. If the Cardinals commit to Crooks in an expanded role and want to stay with Pages, it sets up a simple platoon system with the left-handed hitting Crooks starting against right-handers and Pages starting vs. lefties. But if the Cardinals elect to move on from Pozo, I have to think he did enough this year to draw interest from other teams – even if it means signing him as a free agent.
I’ll return to this next week with a look at the pitchers.
Thanks for reading, have a nice weekend, and Go Mizzou!
–Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STLSportsCentral, catch him weekdays on the “Gashouse Gang” or “Redbird Rush Hour” on KMOX, and Bernie does a weekly “Seeing Red” podcast on the Cardinals with his longtime pal Will Leitch.
Bernie joins Katie Woo on the “Cardinal Territory” video-podcast each week, and you can catch a weekly “reunion” segment here at STL Sports with Bernie’s appearance on the Randy Karraker Show every Friday morning at 10:30 am.