The St. Louis Cardinals look to close out April sitting above .500 after a great start to the 2026 season. In order to do so, the offense is going to have to continue to support the pitching, and so far, only a few guys are shouldering that run-producing weight. Luckily, the level at which guys like Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson have been driving in runs has supported the team thus far, but if either of those two players started to falter, I have little confidence in other spots of the lineup to pick up the slack, especially in the outfield.
Walker has been playing at an MVP level, and while it would be a phenomenal development if that continued throughout the entire season, he will likely fall back down into the “solid player” category as the year progresses. The right fielder has been one of the best players in the game, while the other guys in the outfield have graded out near the bottom of the league at their respective positions. The outfield combination of Nathan Church, Victor Scott II, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese has totaled a -0.1 fWAR, while Walker has put up a 1.3 fWAR value by himself over in right. The absence of Lars Nootbaar, which will continue for an undetermined amount of time, has hurt the lineup’s overall production but has helped these four players at least put their talents on display at the major league level.
Joshua Baez could provide the offensive impact to support the rest of the Cardinals’ struggling lineup.
In Spring Training, a big question revolved around who would fill the left field vacancy left by Nootbaar’s two left feet. The great spring seasons from non-roster invitee Nelson Velazquez and top-100 prospect Joshua Baez made this a bigger conversation than probably anyone in St. Louis expected, but the Cardinals left Florida with an outfield of Victor Scott II, Walker, Church, Saggese, and Fermin. Despite the offensive outbursts from Velazquez and Baez, the Cardinals opted to keep roster flexibility without having to trim 40-man roster spots or use minor league options, but the competitive nature of the Cardinals’ season thus far may adjust that way of thinking.
The overall goal of the 2026 season remains seeing development from the young players, but if the Cardinals continue to play above .500, that goal could be amended to include making a postseason run earlier than anyone expected. If Chaim Bloom decides to shake things up, I would not be suggesting a trade for a rental bat, but to continue on with the fact-finding mission that is 2026 and see if Joshua Baez can stabilize some of the problems that are showing up across the grass. I, for one, am glad his great spring did not end up with a swift promotion to the majors without seeing a pitch in Triple-A like we saw with Victor Scott, especially as Baez struggled a bit to start this year. After making great adjustments at the plate to trim his K-rate and increase his walks, the early showing in his first taste of Memphis is bringing those rates back down to human numbers. What we see from Baez over the next month will tell us how sustainable his changes were from last year.
If FanSided’s number 38 prospect can get back to the plate discipline that he showed last season, I would anticipate that his power and speed numbers will continue to improve as well. For someone who hit .287 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases last year, steadying his production could be what it takes to force ownership’s hand and see if Baez can answer the questions about his future in St. Louis.
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