As the St. Louis Cardinals prepare for their reset season, eyes will be on the upper levels of the organization’s farm system. “Opportunity” is the word president of baseball operations John Mozeliak likes to use when describing the incoming season, and there will be plenty of chances for many St. Louis prospects on the cusp of the majors.
A wave of hiring on the development side should jumpstart an overdue revamp of the minor-league system. As for the players, the Cardinals have multiple prospects who should have a role in the big leagues at some point this season. St. Louis has three top-100 prospects, per The Athletic’s Keith Law, and a good assortment of the organization’s top 20 prospects project to be ready within the next two years.
Let’s check in on the state of the farm.
Keith Law’s farm system ranking: 14
It’s a middle-of-the-pack ranking, but there is reason to believe the Cardinals can make strides here. For the second consecutive year, St. Louis will have a top-10 first-round draft pick (No. 5). It will be the first time in franchise history the Cardinals have top-10 selections in back-to-back seasons (St. Louis took JJ Wetherholt with the seventh pick in 2024). The organization will also take a new direction under Chaim Bloom, who will oversee sweeping changes across the department. The anointed successor to Mozeliak has been an industry leader in modernizing player development. The Boston Red Sox, Bloom’s previous organization, boasts the second-best farm system in baseball, per Law.
New assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio comes from the Cleveland Guardians, another player development powerhouse, and is widely considered a rising star in the industry. He takes over a minor-league pipeline that possesses “a lot of untapped potential,” according to Law.
Gordon Graceffo developed a four-pitch arsenal as a starter but might fit best in the bullpen. (Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
“Right now it’s a big pile of prospects who’ll get to the majors, but maybe not as impact players — fifth starters and middle relievers and backups — yet some of them at least have the tools or skills to be something more,” Law said.
This will be the key for the Cardinals to figure out during their reset, and in some ways, will dictate how long this reset period lasts. Which prospects can develop into true impact players, and whom can the organization build around? They’ll start to answer those questions this season.
Top-100 prospects:
2B/SS JJ Wetherholt (No. 32), RHP Tink Hence (No. 39), LHP Quinn Mathews (No. 55)
Just missed: UTIL Thomas Saggese
Prospects most likely to impact the 2025 team:
RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Gordon Graceffo, UTIL Thomas Saggese, LHP Quinn Mathews
McGreevy and Graceffo, both 2021 draft picks who debuted last season, will compete for a roster spot in spring training, though the roles will differ. McGreevy enters camp looking to break into the rotation, while Graceffo profiles as a bullpen arm despite spending the past four seasons as a starter.
The Cardinals rotation projects to be Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante and Steven Matz. However, McGreevy was impressive in his stint in last year’s rotation (three starts, 24 innings, five earned runs) and a strong spring could force a tough decision for Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol. The bullpen is wide open entering camp and Graceffo, who has a four-pitch arsenal but has had trouble sustaining velocity, could be utilized in relief.
Saggese played 18 big-league games in September for St. Louis and figured to be in the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster plans — until St. Louis hit a roadblock in its attempts to trade Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals remain committed to trading Arenado before Opening Day, which would open the door for Saggese, who can play around the infield and is an aggressive hitter with sneaky pop. But there is no clear everyday role for him with Arenado on the roster. Saggese will play in the majors at some point this year, it’s just a question of when, and there is a possibility he starts the year in Triple A.
Mathews is arguably the most enticing pitching prospect in the system. After a breakout season in which he was promoted three times and was named the Cardinals’ minor-league pitcher of the year, Mathews is the name to watch for a midseason call-up.
Projected 2027 Opening Day roster
Your guess is as good as mine here, (and certainly, trades, free-agent signings and draft picks will impact this) but let’s have some fun anyway. Argue away in the comments.
Lineup
1B Alec Burleson
2B: JJ Wetherholt
SS Masyn Winn
3B Nolan Gorman
C Pedro Pagés
LF Brendan Donovan
CF Victor Scott II
RF Lars Nootbaar
DH Jordan Walker
Bench: Thomas Saggese, Jimmy Crooks, César Prieto
Rotation:
LHP Quinn Mathews
RHP: Tink Hence
RHP: Andre Pallante
RHP: Michael McGreevy
LHP: Cooper Hjerpe
* An external addition or two is much more likely than an entirely homegrown rotation, but that makes this exercise less fun.
Bullpen:
Closer: RHP Gordon Graceffo
Setup: LHP Matthew Liberatore
RHP Ryan Fernandez
LHP Zack Thompson
RHP Tekoah Roby
RHP Sem Robberse
RHP Darlin Saladin
RHP Brian Holiday
(Top photo of JJ Wetherholt: LM Otero / Associated Press)
