The St. Louis Cardinals have a log jam at second base after moving on from trying to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals appear committed now to Arenado as their everyday third baseman; this creates a domino effect in their roster. Now, several young players are going to be vying for playing time at second base.
Cardinals Encounter Second Base Congestion
Cardinals Committed to Arenado at Third
As camp starts, we are hearing more about the situation with Arenado and the Cardinals. Both sides seem content to have him play with the team moving forward after a trade failed to materialize this offseason.
“He’s certainly welcome back. And I think if we put Nolan on our team, we feel we’re a better team,” said Cardinals President of Baseball Operations earlier this week. “So, I think from today moving forward it’s about him playing baseball, him being a ballplayer and us just trying to move forward with what this club is going to look like.”
The Cardinals are entering a new focus as an organization. They want to focus on developing the youth in their organization. The initial idea of trading Arenado was to give more playing time to the surplus of young options that can play third base in their organization.
“This transition is going to be about a youth movement,” Mozeliak said in his first comments when he got to Spring Training. “It is going to be about getting players opportunities. We are excited about the guys we have in this camp.”
Three Options at Second Base
If Arenado had been traded, former first-round pick Nolan Gorman was the presumptive third baseman. However, he will likely split time at second base with rookie Thomas Saggese and Brendan Donovan. Gorman struggled in 2024, finishing the season with a demotion to triple-A. While he was drafted as a third baseman in 2018, most of his playing time at the MLB level has been at second.
Gorman is likely to get at-bats at the DH spot. His power capabilities make him a dangerous bat. He had the seventh-highest barrel percentage in the League last year at 16.7 percent. However, his strikeout rate is a problem. In 2024, Gorman had the second-highest strikeout rate in the League among players who took 400 at-bats at 37.6 percent. Gorman is also the third defensive option of the three-second base options.
Saggese is the Cardinals no. 4 prospect. He finished last season with the Cardinals after being promoted in favor of the struggling Gorman. Saggese is also coming off a strong Fall League campaign. Donovan is a great defensive player. He’s also solidified himself as an everyday player with his bat. However, Donovan can play second base or the outfield. His flexibility will be helpful as the Cardinals piece together their lineup.
A Domino Effect on the Lineup
The Cardinals have three infield positions locked in—third base with Arenado, shortstop with Masyn Winn, and first base with Willson Contreras. Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar are going to get preferential playing time as the organization figures out what they have with the two young players. Alec Burleson had the most productive bat on the team last season. Burleson will get playing time in the outfield, as DH, and potentially even as a backup first baseman to Contreras.
This leaves Donovan as the flex that causes the most change. Donovan will be in the field most days, not as DH. Saggese and Gorman will be out of the lineup if he plays second. If he plays in the outfield, it likely bumps arguably the Cardinal’s best defensive player, Michael Siani, out of center field.
Mozeliak said manager Olliver Marmol and his coaching staff are working out how to put together the best lineup. The team will balance playing time for young players and the solidified positions of veterans like Arenado and Contreras. Marmol is confident the team will win with that combination.
“This young core is hungry, they’re excited, they’re passionate,” Marmol said at the Cardinals ‘Winter Warmup event. “They’re looking forward to making their mark in Cardinal’s history.”
Main Photo credits: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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