What Bats are of interest for the Birds on the Bat?
The St. Louis Cardinals are likely rebuilding, with many batters aiming to prove their future value or attract trade interest for 2026.
The Safest:
Alec Burleson is the most proven hitter in the Cards lineup, and at 27 years old, he is still working his way into his prime. He hit 21 homers with a 106 wRC+ across 595 plate appearances in 2024. Last season, Burleson slashed an impressive .290/.343/.459 with 18 homers and a 124 wRC+. Though he doesn't walk a ton (7.1% BB% in '25), his 14.5% K% and 17.9% Whiff% in 2025 show that he has excellent bat control. Burleson isn't the most exciting fantasy option, but there is plenty of upside, and his spot is very safe in the middle of the Cards lineup.
Masyn Winn isn't as proven with the bat as Burleson, but he plays a solid shortstop and enters his age-24 season with two Big League years under his belt. He's not safe in the "draft and produce" sense, but is a young, talented regular who will see 600+ plate appearances. Winn had a strong rookie year in 2024, hitting 15 homers with a 104 wRC+, but regressed last season with nine homers and a 91 wRC+. He handled the bat well in 2025 (19.6% Whiff%, 19.0% K%), but his advanced contact metrics were poor: 34.6% HardHit% and 4.8% Barrel% ranked in the 16th percentile, leading to a .286 xwOBA that ranked in the 8th. Your hopes for Winn rest on his making a significant adjustment at the plate, which could definitely happen; he's entering his third season and will be given ample opportunity.
The Rookie:
JJ Wetherholt was the 7th overall pick for the Cardinals in the 2024 draft and is the 12th-ranked overall prospect on Fangraphs going into 2026. He's worked his way up through the minors quickly and is expected to be the team's opening day second baseman. The 23-year-old slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers, 23 stolen Bases, and a 154 wRC+ across 496 appearances between Double and Triple-A last season. He actually hit more homers (10) in Triple-A despite having 54 fewer plate appearances there. Wetherholt is a solid defender as well, spending most of his time at shortstop in the minors but also working at second and third base frequently. We are going to see how quickly Wetherholt can adjust to the Big Leagues this season, and for what it's worth, it's been so far so good in Spring Training. He's posted a .263/.500/.579 triple-slash line (buoyed by an outrageous 28.3% BB%) with two homers, two stolen bases, and a 187 wRC+. There will likely be growing pains, but a 10-homer, 20-SB season, while maintaining a decent average and OBP, seems doable.
Prove It Time:
Another Cards first-round draft pick (21 in '20) who zipped through the minors is Jordan Walker. He was first called up in 2023 and shot out of the gates with a 12-game hitting streak to start his MLB career. However, he hasn't proved any consistency and has been shuffling between the minors and majors ever since. Walker is still just 23, but after so much time getting a crack at the Bigs, it seems like it's a big prove-it year for the big man. He boasts incredible talent. He is 6'6" 250 LBS, and posted a 28.7 sprint speed (84th percentile) and a 93.3 arm strength (96th) last season; while also showing a 78.1 mph bat speed (99th), 92.3 mph Avg Exit Velo (91st), and 50.0% HardHit% (87th). Yet, he ranked in the 15th percentile in defensive range, the 9th percentile in arm value, and had a xwOBA of .278, which ranked in the 5th percentile. His problem at the plate is mainly with his plate discipline, though he's had trouble with his launch angle, which has been a point of emphasis throughout his days in the Cardinals organization. He chases (34.1% Chase%), misses (35.6% Whiff%), and predictably strikes out a lot (31.8%). Those are all numbers from 2025, and they were all career worsts. So the hope is that, as Walker has been focusing on improving his swing to get the ball off the ground, it has had a major impact on his ability to make contact. Unfortunately, he still hit the ball on the ground at a hefty 47.9% clip last season, so if that's the case, it hasn't borne any fruit so far.
Now on to the Cardinals' 2018 first-round pick (19th overall), Nolan Gorman, who is entering his fifth season in the Major Leagues. Gorman will turn 26 this season, so it's really getting to prove it, or else, time. He has always displayed incredible power, as evidenced by his Career 14.3% Barrel% and .201 ISO. However, since his breakout 2023 campaign (27 HR and 118 wRC+), he has steadily regressed. He owned a 37.6% K% with a .203 average and 87 wRC+ in 2024. Then last season, those numbers were 33.8%, .205, and 88, respectively, while his Barrel% crashed to a career-low 9.1%. It's not too late for Gorman to figure it out, but improvements will certainly need to be made on his 34.6% Whiff% and 33.8% K% he posted last season. On a positive note, he has four XBHs (2 HR) and just four strikeouts in 27 at-bats this spring.
Potentially Positionless, Yet Intriguing:
Ivan Herrera came up as a catcher, but he is coming off off-season elbow surgery, and the Cardinals don't seem to like him there. The positive is that the abilities he has shown at the dish are likely another reason the team doesn't want him taking a beating behind it. The 25-year-old slashed .301/.372/.428 with 5 homers and a 128 wRC+ across 259 plate appearances in his first extended MLB stint in 2023. Last season, he slashed .284/373/.464 with 19 dingers and a 137 wRC+ in 452 plate appearances. It appears the kid can hit, but his fantasy value will be significantly sapped if he only has DH position availability. He was used as a catcher in his few spring games before he was sidelined with a knee injury. The injury isn't considered serious, but it doesn't help his case to be the Cardinals' regular backstop. He has worked in the outfield (31 innings in 2025) and is learning first base, but his position is an unknown at this point.
Around the League
Jose Berrios, SP, TOR
Berrios was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday with lingering elbow inflammation. The elbow inflammation is the reason that he was unable to pitch for Puerto Rico in the WBC. The team is taking it day by day as Berrios isn't feeling any pain. It doesn't appear that Berrios' status for the start of the season is in jeopardy yet, but it's something to monitor in the coming weeks. The 32-year-old is coming off a solid 2025 campaign; however, he managed just 166.0 IP due to injury, his lowest total since 2017.
Joe Musgrove, SP, SD
The Padres are calling Musgrove day-to-day right now regarding his ramp-up before the season. With easing him back now, it appears the start of the season might come a little late for Musgrove. He did throw 60 pitches in an exhibition against Great Britain on March 4th, which went well. Nothing concerning has happened since then; the Padres appear to be playing it safe after Musgrove missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery in October of 2024.
Romy Gonzalez, INF, BOS
The Red Sox placed Gonzalez on the 60-day IL on Thursday due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery. The utility man dealt with shoulder inflammation for much of the offseason, so it's particularly unfortunate that the surgery will come now, on the doorstep of the season. With Gonzalez on the shelf, look at Nate Eaton, Kristian Campbell, or Andruw Monasterio to be on Boston's opening day roster.
Quinn Priester, SP, MIL
The Brewers confirmed Thursday that Priester will hit the IL for the start of the 2026 campaign with a lingering nerve issue in his right wrist. After seeing a specialist, it appears the injury won't require surgery, but a recovery timetable is unclear. He is still throwing and is scheduled for a bullpen on March 21st. Priester had a coming-out party in 2025, going 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA and 3.81 xFIP. The 25-year-old will have to get over this wrist issue before we can see what he has for an encore. In the meantime, lefties Aaron Ashby and DL Hall could find a way into the rotation, or, more excitingly, it could pave the way for 24-year-old Logan Henderson to secure himself a place in the rotation.
Trevor Story, SS, BOS
Story continued his positive spring with a 3 for 4 day at the plate that included a double and a triple. The 33-year-old experienced a renaissance of sorts in 2025, hitting 25 homers and logging 654 plate appearances, both of which were his highest marks since 2019 with Colorado. Story's plate discipline metrics in 2025 left much to be desired, but he did hit the ball hard, and he stayed healthy for the first time since he came to Boston in 2022. Story's hefty 29.3% Whiff% and 35.3% Chase% led to a .19 K/BB mark. Though he did post an impressive 91.4 MPH Avg Exit Velo and 47.0% HardHit%, while incredibly stealing 31 bases, which was a career-high. Still, with a 101 wRC+, Story proved to be an average hitter overall. Health will again be the catalyst for the veteran shortstop, but there is enough here to hope that if fit, he can produce.
TJ Rumfield, 1B, COL
Rumfield continues to make his case to not only make the Rockies' opening day roster but to be the team's regular first baseman. I always like to throw a dart at a Rockies player, given the obvious advantages of playing at Coors Field for half the season. Rumfield looks like that, in deeper leagues at least. The 26-year-old went 3 for 4 with four RBI against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. He is now 11 for 30 with four homers and nine RBI this spring. Rumfield never made it to the Bigs with the Yankees, but he raked in the minors the past two seasons, and his new team is a little more ready for new talent. He slashed .294/.370/.454 with 15 homers across 508 plate appearances between Double and Triple-A in 2024. Last season in Triple-A, he slashed .285/.378/.447 with 16 homers while boasting an impressive 11.9% BB% and 18.4% K%. If Rumfield is given a run at first base, he could post fantasy-relevant numbers in Colorado.
Jack Leiter, SP, TEX
Leiter gave up two runs on five hits and no walks while fanning six across 5.0 innings of work on Thursday. He's given up six runs in 12 innings this spring, giving him a 4.50 ERA, which isn't terrible. However, he has already given up five long balls, something that has been an issue in his young major league career. Leiter did have a nice bounce-back campaign in his true rookie season in 2025. Going 10-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 4.53 xFIP. His walks were still too high (10.4% BB% 16th percentile), but the Ks were up (22.9 53rd percentile), and his HR/9 of 1.07 was significantly down from the 1.77 mark he posted in his limited 2024 stint. Leiter certainly still has improvements to make, but it can come together in a hurry for someone with his velocity and age (25).
Brendon Donovan, 2B/3B, SEA
Donovan comes to Seattle as an accomplished hitter with elite bat-handling skills. In 2025, he posted a 13.4% Whiff% (95th percentile) and a 13.0% K% (91st percentile). Additionally, his 40.1 LA sweet-spot% ranked in the 94th percentile, and his squared-up% ranked in the 91st. So what you have is a guy who can hit for average and get on base, which has been proven across his career in the only way that actually matters, with a lifetime .282 average and .361 OBP. He doesn't have a ton of pop (14 HR career-high) or speed (5 SB career-high), but his bat skills, combined with other perks, such as position versatility and hitting leadoff in the Mariners lineup, make him an undervalued fantasy player.
Bubba Chandler, SP, PIT
Chandler tossed 5.0 one-run innings, allowing one hit and one walk while fanning eight batters. The youngster has had a tough spring up to this point, so the clean outing was a good sight. Bubba unsurprisingly relied heavily on his heater in the contest, which averaged 98.2 MPH and topped out at 100 MPH. He used his four-seamer 74% of the time in the game, with his changeup coming in second at 12% and his slider at 9%. This was much how he used his arsenal last season, albeit not as four-seam aggressive (54%). For the game, it seemed to work, as the hitters were clearly not ready when Chandler went to his secondary pitches. He induced three whiffs on the four swings on his change and two whiffs on five swings on his slider. The 23-year-old definitely has the talent; it will be consistency and in-game adjustments that need to improve in the majors.
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