Published for Cardinals fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 19, 2026
🐦 Cardinals Fans — The Kids Are Here!
Eleven titles, a new youth movement, and the RBI king leading the way — the rebuild is on, and real fans wear the birds on the bat through every inning of it. Grab a St. Louis-style home jersey with your favorite star’s number and rep Busch Stadium everywhere you go.
The Club
The St. Louis Cardinals are the crown jewel of the National League — the franchise every other NL club gets measured against. Founded in 1882, the oldest team in the Senior Circuit, the Cardinals play at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, dressed in cardinal red and white with the iconic birds-on-the-bat logo. The trophy case holds 11 World Series titles — 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006 and 2011 — the most of any National League club. This is the franchise of Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. But here’s the number hanging over everything right now: four straight seasons without October baseball, the longest playoff drought of the modern era in St. Louis. The rebuild is on — and for the first time in years, it actually feels like it’s working.
⭐ FAN FAVORITE
#41 Burleson — St. Louis Cardinals Style Home Jersey
The RBI crown’s number. White with the red Cardinals script and the two birds on the bat — the jersey of the man who led all of baseball in runs batted in.
Last Season (2026): The Kids Arrived, the Wins Didn’t — Yet
77-85. Fourth in the NL Central, 26 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, and home for October for the fourth consecutive year. The division belonged to Milwaukee, which ripped off a franchise-record 103 wins and its fourth straight NL Central crown — including a season-ending sweep of the Cardinals at American Family Field, outscoring St. Louis 77-41 across the season series. The Cubs (89-73) grabbed a wild card; the Pirates (82-80) finished third; the Reds (75-87) brought up the rear. But 2026 was never really about the standings in St. Louis. This was year one of the Chaim Bloom era — the new president of baseball operations tore it down to the studs, traded Nolan Arenado to Arizona in January, and handed the roster to the kids. Thirteen players made their major-league debut. PECOTA said 66 wins; the gamblers said 69.5. The Cardinals won 77 — and more importantly, they found out who can play.
Best Players Right Now (2027 Roster)
Alec Burleson, 27, First Base — The RBI king. Led all of Major League Baseball with 116 RBIs in 2026 — the most by a Cardinals left-handed hitter since Stan Musial in 1954 — while finally getting to play every day at first base. Twenty-six homers, nearly 40 doubles, and the middle-of-the-order bat this team had been missing.
Jordan Walker, 24, Right Field — The showman. Stole the Home Run Derby, then hit 29 big-league homers — including one that snapped a 68 at-bat RBI drought in the season’s final weekend. The power is real; the superstar leap is next.
Masyn Winn, 24, Shortstop — The everyday shortstop. Elite defender with a rocket arm and growing offensive confidence — the kind of homegrown cornerstone championship infields are built around.
Ivan Herrera, 26, Designated Hitter/Catcher — The professional hitter. Nineteen homers and a refined approach at the plate; combined with JJ Wetherholt for 35 homers and 119 RBIs of young production.
JJ Wetherholt, 24, Second Base — The rookie revelation. The top prospect hit the ground running in the big leagues and looks like a fixture at the keystone for the next decade.
Leo Bernal, 22, Catcher (#13) — The future behind the plate. Five homers as a rookie, a blast in the season finale, and the inside track on the starting catching job in 2027. The organization is all-in.
Victor Scott II, 25, Center Field — The burner. Game-changing speed in center and on the bases; if the bat takes one more step, he’s an All-Star.
Joshua Baez, 23, Outfielder — The debut for the ages. Seven homers in 100 at-bats — including three in his big-league debut. Raw power you can’t teach.
Nolan Gorman, 26, Third Base — The crossroads. The former top prospect’s bat never came around in 2026 (.186, nine homers), and with two years of control left, his Cardinals future is the winter’s biggest question mark.
Matthew Liberatore, 26, Starting Pitcher — The rotation’s steadiest young arm. Has taken his lumps and kept coming; the Cardinals need him to take the next step in 2027.
Michael McGreevy, 26, Starting Pitcher — The strike-thrower. Pounds the zone and gives the rotation a reliable mid-rotation floor.
Riley O’Brien, 31, Closer (#61) — The saves leader. Tied for the National League lead with 38 saves in his first full season closing — the one proven late-inning weapon on the roster.
Manager: Oliver Marmol — Sixth season in the dugout, extended through 2028 with a club option for 2029. Bloom’s hand-picked leader for the youth movement; the clubhouse has bought in, and the front office is betting the record follows.
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Star Spotlight: Stories You Should Know
The RBI crown comes home. On the final weekend in Milwaukee, Alec Burleson smoked his 26th homer of the season and drove in his 116th run — officially making him Major League Baseball’s RBI leader for 2026. No Cardinals left-handed hitter had driven in that many runs since Stan Musial in 1954. Seventy-two years. In a lost season, Burleson gave Busch Stadium something to stand and cheer for, and gave the rebuild its first certified star.
Thirty-eight saves, zero fear. When the Cardinals handed the ninth inning to Riley O’Brien, nobody predicted a saves title. The 31-year-old responded by tying for the National League lead with 38 saves, taking the ball 66 times and never once hitting the injured list. It wasn’t always pretty — he also led the majors in blown saves — but on a young team learning how to win, O’Brien learned how to finish.
The day the rebuild got real. January 14, 2026: the Cardinals traded Nolan Arenado — the eight-time All-Star, the face of the post-Goldschmidt era — to the Arizona Diamondbacks, attaching $31 million in cash to move the contract. It was Chaim Bloom’s signature move, the unmistakable signal that the Cardinals were done patching and were finally rebuilding. Thirteen rookies debuted. The farm system is now one of baseball’s best. The teardown hurt; the foundation looks real.
🔥 More Fan Favorites
More Redbird stars, same iconic birds on the bat.
Next Season (2027): Year Two of the Bloom Plan
Don’t expect a spending spree — Bloom has been blunt that the Cardinals won’t sacrifice the long term for a quick fix. But don’t expect another 77-win shrug either. The young core is a year older and genuinely talented: Burleson, Walker, Winn, Herrera, Wetherholt and Bernal give St. Louis six homegrown regulars 27 or younger, and the farm keeps coming — switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and 19-year-old catching phenom Rainiel Rodriguez could both debut in 2027. The to-do list is honest: the bullpen had the fifth-worst ERA in the NL (4.40), the back of the rotation needs arms, and third base is a question mark if Gorman moves on. Add two or three high-leverage relievers and let the kids play meaningful September games, and the arrow points up. One caveat over everything: the collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and a lockout could scramble the whole calendar. If baseball is played on time, 2027 is the year the rebuild starts showing up in the standings.
Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Games to Watch
Wondering when the Cardinals play? The Cardinals schedule for 2027 is out — and it opens with six straight on the road. Grab your Cardinals tickets early for these:
- March 25 — at Cincinnati Reds (Opening Day): The earliest Opening Day ever, and the Cardinals start it with a division rival on the road — three in Cincinnati, then three at Wrigley Field. Trial by fire for the kids.
- April 1 — vs Kansas City Royals (home opener, Busch Stadium): The I-70 Series opens the home slate. Nothing beats the first red jacket day of the year in St. Louis.
- May 29-31 — vs Chicago Cubs (Memorial Day weekend): The Cubs come to Busch for the holiday weekend. The rivalry never needs a reason, but a summer weekend series is the best one.
- July 9-11 — vs New York Yankees (Busch Stadium): The Bronx Bombers visit St. Louis for a weekend set right before the All-Star break — the biggest interleague draw of the summer.
- September 20-22 — vs Milwaukee Brewers (Busch Stadium): The season-ending homestand. If the rebuild is ahead of schedule, this is the series where the Cardinals get to punch back at the team that owned them.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. Chicago Cubs — the eternal war. I-55. The most storied rivalry in the National League, and it doesn’t matter what either team’s record is — 40,000 people show up hating the other shade of blue and red. The Cubs took the 2026 wild card; the Cardinals are coming for their perch.
2. Milwaukee Brewers — the new kings. Four straight NL Central titles, a franchise-record 103 wins, and a season-ending sweep in 2026. The Brewers have taken the division the Cardinals owned for two decades. Reclaiming it starts here.
3. Cincinnati Reds — the Opening Day foe. The 2027 season starts in Cincinnati, and these two have been tripping each other in the Central for years. Division games in March count the same as division games in September.
4. Kansas City Royals — the I-70 Series. The cross-state rivalry opens the home schedule on April 1. Two small-market clubs, one interstate, and bragging rights for all of Missouri.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many World Series titles have the Cardinals won?
Eleven — the most of any National League club: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006 and 2011.
When the Cardinals play the Cubs in 2027, what’s the best weekend series?
May 29-31, 2027 at Busch Stadium — the Cubs visit St. Louis for Memorial Day weekend.
Who are the best Cardinals players right now?
Alec Burleson, who led all of MLB with 116 RBIs in 2026; Jordan Walker, the Home Run Derby star; and closer Riley O’Brien, tied for the NL lead with 38 saves.
Why did the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado?
In January 2026, Chaim Bloom traded Arenado to Arizona (attaching $31 million) to signal a full rebuild — handing the roster to 13 debuting rookies.
Show Your Colors
Redbird Nation — at Busch Stadium or watching from home, true fans wear the birds on the bat. Gear up with quality fan sportswear — jerseys, tees and athletic wear built for real supporters:
Shop Fan Sportswear at Toxlay Sports →
Sources & official links: St. Louis Cardinals official site · St. Louis Cardinals tickets
Eleven titles, four years of waiting — the kids are coming, and Cardinal Nation can feel it.
