Cardinals announce wild-card roster

The end of an era is drawing near in St. Louis, and as the Cardinals hope to send at least two franchise icons off on the highest note possible, they have formally set their roster for their best-of-three Wild Card series against the Phillies. Here is how the roster will look as Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols suit up for the final postseason run of their illustrious careers…

Right-Handed Pitchers

• Jack Flaherty
• Giovanny Gallegos
• Ryan Helsley
• Jordan Hicks
• Miles Mikolas (Game 2 starter)
• Andre Pallante
• Adam Wainwright

Left-Handed Pitchers

• Steven Matz
• Jordan Montgomery
• Packy Naughton
• Jose Quintana (Game 1 starter)
• Zack Thompson

Catchers

• Andrew Knizner
• Yadier Molina

Infielders

• Nolan Arenado
• Paul DeJong
• Brendan Donovan
• Tommy Edman
• Paul Goldschmidt
• Nolan Gorman
• Albert Pujols

Outfielders

• Dylan Carlson
• Ben DeLuzio
• Corey Dickerson
• Lars Nootbaar
• Juan Yepez

The Cardinals are without outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who is been out since mid-September owing to a hamstring strain. He is been rehabbing and progressing toward a return, and Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that O’Neill will actually plan in this year’s Arizona Fall League to continue rehabbing with an eye toward a hopeful return during the NLDS — assuming the Cardinals advance beyond the first round of play.

All eyes this series will be on Pujols, Molina and Wainwright — a trio of St. Louis icons who will hope to add one final World Series ring to their likely Hall of Fame resumes. Molina and Pujols have already announced their intention to retire at season’s end. Wainwright could well give it one more go but has kept his own plans close to the vest.

Regardless, it is been a remarkable scene for Cardinals fans throughout the season, watching three beloved players reprise their halcyon days from more than a decade ago as they reunited to capture the NL Central crown. Along the way, Pujols rode a late hot streak for the ages into the rarefied air of the 700 home run club, while Molina and Wainwright established a new Major League record for most starts made by a battery. All the while, the Cards received MVP-level play from their infield corners and saw rookies like Nootbaar and Donovan provide a glimpse of what’s to come in the years ahead.