The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is right around the corner with Opening Day approaching in just two weeks, as of writing.
The season will begin for the St. Louis Cardinals on March 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s arguably going to be a fun season, no matter what the standings look like. When you have a team this young with players who have sky-high potential, like JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn and even Jordan Walker, it’s going to be fun to see if this team can put it together. The speed at which the young guys on the roster take a step forward will determine how long this reset period lasts.
St. Louis did the right thing this past offseason and really ripped the Band-Aid by trading veterans to the point that it has to see what it has with the young guys on the roster. There really isn’t a way around that. Over the course of the season, the Cardinals will have an opportunity to add even more talent when the MLB Draft rolls around in July. The Cardinals have the No. 13 pick in the first round to kick things off. The Cardinals also landed two picks in the Brendan Donovan trade, which only will give the club more ammo.
It’s a bit early to be thinking about the draft, but with a prospect-filled season coming, it’s okay. Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo dropped his first mock draft of the year and had St. Louis slotted to select LSU outfielder Derek Curiel at No. 13.
The Cardinals have the No. 13 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft