Mar 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) salutes the fans as he receives a curtain call after hitting a go ahead two run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Why Cardinals Will Be Better Than Expected in 2026

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 12:00 PM ET

The 2026 season is officially underway. The St. Louis Cardinals started off on a high note, pulling off a 9-7 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays in their first game.

The team tore down its roster by trading Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, but at the very least restocked the farm system with some very promising young pitchers. 2026 might not be the best year in St. Louis, but it's worth considering what took place on Thursday before making a final judgement.

Will Leitch of MLB.com outlined why he thinks the Cardinals can be better than expected this season and predicted that a winning record is far more likely than a 100-loss season.

Why Cardinals can be better than expected in 2026

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"This team finished 78-84 last year despite getting more than half their starts from Pallante, Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde and getting subpar offensive seasons from Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II and (shhh) Nolan Arenado. There were a lot of dead spots on the roster last year, is what I’m saying, and they still approached .500," Leitch wrote.

The Cardinals had a lot of deadweight on last year's roster. With Arenado still at third base, players like Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese and JJ Wetherholt were blocked. Now that Arenado is gone, spots have opened up, and if Wetherholt can be as good as advertised, then perhaps St. Louis could improve offensively.

The pitching staff is a lot deeper this year, even without Gray. There is a lot more depth in the minor leagues than in recent years, and they still managed to sign Dustin May and Ryne Stanek to one-year deals.

Now that Gray is with the Boston Red Sox, now is the time for Matthew Liberatore to shine and become the ace that St. Louis needs. Plus, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante all looked strong in spring training, so if they can reach their potential, there is a lot to like about this rotation.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn and Ivan Herrera remain. If those players can pick up where they left off and have big 2025 seasons, the offense could be a lot better, even with some stars gone.

A lot is going to have to go right for St. Louis if it hopes to finish over .500 in 2026, but there are still quality players in the lineup, and the pitching staff looks a lot deeper than it has in recent years.

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

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