Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cardinals Hit Jackpot, Landed St. Louis' Next Star Infielder

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are heading into a stressful rebuild right now. After years of sitting around .500, they've committed to this rebuild by kicking off the offseason with a few trades.

They traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox to begin the winter. Shortly after, they traded Willson Contreras to Boston, too.

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These two trades helped boost the team's farm system quite a bit. In fact, they landed a few young players who could crack the big-league roster in the near future. These prospects, alongside the Cardinals' other top prospects, are going to be the backbone of the upcoming rebuild in St. Louis.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently shared a lot of high praise for top prospect JJ Wetherholt ahead of the season. Reuter also have Wetherholt a 70 percent chance of cracking the opening day roster in St. Louis.

JJ Wetherholt is ready to make an impact in St. Louis

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Wetherholt was a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft heading into the spring before a nagging hamstring injury hurt his stock and he slipped to the Cardinals with the seventh pick," Reuter wrote. "After batting .306/.421/.510 with 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 59 RBI and 23 steals in 109 games between Double-A and Triple-A in his first full professional season, he is on track to enter 2026 as one of the NL Rookie of the Year favorites. Trading or releasing Nolan Arenado would clear a path for him on the infield."

The Cardinals seemingly have a future star on their hands. They hit the jackpot with Wetherholt falling to them in the MLB draft.

Wetherholt has the ability to play anywhere on the infield dirt, but it seems like he's going to take over at second base in St. Louis if he has a productive offseason.

Wetherholt can hit for power and average while playing good defense. He's a capable baserunner with the ability to stretch singles into doubles. Last season, he dominated the minor leagues. At this point, there's nothing left to prove in Triple-A. The Cardinals have a star on their hands and they need to bring him to the big leagues going forward.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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