Ten questions Cardinals will try to answer during spring training

By Rob Rains

It’s been the Cardinals’ most pressing question since the end of last season and now, just days away from the official start of spring training, it still hasn’t been answered.

The future of Nolan Arenado has a tremendous trickle-down effect on the roster and will have an impact on many of the other questions the Cardinals will try to answer this spring.

Here are all 10 questions looming as the spring begins, ones the Cardinals want to resolve before the March 27 season-opener against the Twins:

1. How does Arenado still being on the team affect the “reset” plan?

It basically blows that plan wide open. The Cardinals never intended for Arenado to still be with the team as spring training began. The way they were going to get at-bats for Nolan Gorman and other young players was predecated on Arenado being a former Cardinal. OK, so now what? Somebody is going to lose out here, but who?

The most likely scenario at least as the spring begins is for Gorman to go back to second base, Brendan Donovan to see more time in left field and Lars Nootbaar getting more work in center, which will squeeze the available at-bats for Michael Siani, Victor Scott II and even Thomas Saggese. It likely will put even more pressure on Jordan Walker, since so many other players will be challenging for at-bats. One of those players who will need to find at-bats somewhere is Alec Burleson, who actually led the Cardinals with 78 RBIs and hit 21 home runs last year. As spring training begins, he doesn’t have a regular spot in the lineup.

2. Is there still a possibility the team can trade Arenado?

Yes. This would likely be the best thing that could happen, but it is still going to require Arenado’s approval and there are very limited options where he would agree to go, especially once spring training begins. He needs to show up with a good attitude, say the right things, play hard – and hope one of his desired teams suddenly decides they have a need at third base.

To get a trade done, the Cardinals likely will have to absorb more of Arenado’s contract than they wanted to cover over the winter, and they also probably won’t get as good a prospect in return as they wanted. Still, getting even half of Arenado’s contract off the books, and opening up third base, would be a win. The Cardinals still want to add a couple of small pieces to their roster, and can’t do it until the Arenado situation is resolved.

3. Can the team find innings for their young pitchers?

The Cardinals have a projected starting rotation entering the spring that does not offer any openings for a young pitcher or two like Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews or Tink Hence. Whether that changes while the Cardinals are in Jupiter remains to be seen.

Those three, and others, will get work this spring – but will it be enough that they can convince the Cardinals that they belong in the rotation? That also could depend on how the veteran starters perform, and if there is a possibility of shifting at least one starter to the bullpen.

4. Will Willson Contreras be at least adequate defensively at first base?

Moving Contreras to first base, replacing Paul Goldschmidt, was a move predecated on keeping his bat in the lineup and trying to keep Contreras healthy. The downside, of course, is that he is not a Gold Glove-caliber player like Goldschmidt, who saved countless throwing errors from his fellow infielders the last several years.

Even if Contreras is not going to be a Gold Glove-candidate, he still has to be able to play well enough that he is not hurting the team. On a pitching staff that relies a lot on its defense, this will definitely be an area to monitor during the spring.

5. What impact will the new hitting coach Brant Brown have?

A case can be made that Brown might be the most important person in a Cardinal uniform this spring. He already has spent a lot of time working with Gorman, Walker and others since he was hired to replace Turner Ward, and Walker specifically raved about Brown when speaking to the media at the Winter Warm-up.

Talk, especially in January, however, is cheap. It has to be backed up by performance and only when those young hitters get a chance to play can they show what effect Brown has had on making them better than they were in 2024.

6. Who will get the majority of playing time in center field?

The Cardinals thought this would be a battle between Siani and Scott II, but Arenado’s presence is going to factor into this position as well. Nootbaar will get the nod for playing time over both Siani and Scott II, and he might get pushed to center if Arenado is still on  the team, even though that would be a drop-off defensively.

Manager Oli Marmol seems to love Siani’s defense and doesn’t pay much attention to the fact he is a below-league average hitter. Scott II got forced into playing last year when he wasn’t ready and then struggled in Triple A as well. Hopefully he will get a fair shot this spring, because Scott II still profiles as a better offensive player than Siani.

7. Could this be the last chance for Gorman and Walker?

This spring, no. This season, maybe. The Cardinals have invested heavily in Gorman and Walker as the centerpieces for their “reset” plan and really need at least one of them to have a breakthrough season and display the productivity the team needs, becoming middle of the order hitters, or it might be time to move in another direction. Yes they are both still young, but there needs to be signs of progress.

Those signs need to start this spring, with Gorman in particular showing that he is able to cut down on his high strikeout rate without sacrificing power. For Walker, the first challenge will be to display better judgment of the strike zone, stop chasing low and away sliders, and be able to make consistent contact. The team shouldn’t worry about power from Walker – if he gets the other holes fixed in his game, the power will come.

8. Can Nootbaar stay healthy?

Whether he is playing left field or center field doesn’t matter in this case – Nootbaar just needs to be in one spot or the other. Over the last three seasons, Nootbaar has played in 334 of a possible 486 games, missing 152 – almost the equivalent of a full season. He can’t help the Cardinals if he isn’t on the field.

The injuries have come in a variety of ways, including crashing into walls. The Cardinals don’t want Nootbaar to lose his aggressiveness but he needs to realize when not to try to make those plays. Now 27, he is a little older than some of the players involved in the reset, but the team definitely believes Nootbaar has more productivity in his game – which will come if he stays on the field.

9. Will Thomas Saggese play his way onto the opening-day roster?

This answer likely is hidden in the Arenado question too. Keeping Arenado takes up a roster spot that could go to Saggese, who needs to be assured of getting consistent playing time, even if he not a regular starter, or else it makes more sense to let him keep playing every day in Memphis.

The Cardinals will need a backup infielder who can occasionally spell Masyn Winn at shortstop. Saggese could be competing with Jose Fermin for that spot, with Fermin likely holding the edge going into camp if the battle is strictly for that backup position.

10. Is there a chance a surprise player can make the opening-day roster?

There is always a chance, and this best possibility this spring likely will come out of the bullpen. The Cardinals hoped to add a relief pitcher from outside the organization, basically to replace Andrew Kittridge, but have been unable to make that financial commitment while the Arenado saga drags on.

If Arenado is on the team, the best chance for a newcomer could come from one of the young pitchers who could shift from starting to relieving, with Gordon Graceffo perhaps being the most likely candidate. McGreevy could find himself in that mix as well, if he doesn’t beat out one of the five projected starters.

He almost certainly won’t make the opening day roster, but infielder J.J. Wetherholt, last year’s top draft pick, will be closely monitored this spring just to see how far away he is from the majors.

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