The St. Louis Cardinals continued their offseason roster teardown this week by shipping out eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While $11 million in salary relief and prospect Jack Martinez were a fine return for the former star, perhaps the real benefit of the deal for St. Louis was the open roster spot and the opportunity to get a better look at several different players in 2026.
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Let’s take a look at who benefits most from the Arenado move.
Now 25 years old, the former first-round pick of the Cardinals could get a chance to make third base his permanent home in 2026. He played 54 games there in 2025 and has the flexibility to play second base, designated hitter or even some outfield, but with Arenado gone, the Cardinals could elect to give him a long look at the hot corner.
Armed with excellent power, Gorman hit 27 home runs in 2023, but his numbers have dropped each of the last two seasons, and his strikeout rates have continued to stay high (34 percent career). Under contract for three more seasons, this is probably his best chance to make a real impact in St. Louis, especially with top prospect JJ Wetherholt getting ready for a promotion.
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Currently ranked as the No. 5 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Wetherholt is a versatile infielder. Now 23, he was drafted No. 7 overall by the Cardinals in 2024 out of West Virginia. He is projected to make his major league debut this season and when he does, it could be the most exciting thing for the organization in 2026.
As it stands right now, his best chance to crack the roster is at third, but if the team follows through and trades Brendan Donovan, second base could be an option as well. Regardless, the move of Arenado has opened up pathways for him to make an impact early in the campaign.
Playing 109 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last season, he hit .306 with 17 home runs, 59 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
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Another versatile infielder, Saggese played 35 games at second base in 2025 and 33 games at shortstop. He also played 18 games at third base, and similar to Wetherholt, the trade of Arenado and a possible trade of Donovan give him a greater pathway to regular playing time at either spot.
He hit .258 in 82 games last season, socking two home runs and driving in 25.
Kind of a forgotten man at the age of 23, Jordan is the No. 20 prospect in the organization (MLB Pipeline). A former third-round pick of the Boston Red Sox, he’s armed with big power. He hit 19 home runs last season between Double-A and Triple-A in both organizations, though he only hit .198 in 41 games once he got to Triple-A Memphis. He doesn’t have the same excitement as Wetherholt, but again, with Arenado out of the picture, there’s an opportunity for him to get a major league look that didn’t exist before.
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Maybe even there’s a scenario where Wetherholt is getting reps at second and Jordan can get them at third.
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