St. Louis

Cardinals

While the Red Sox are hopeful that Triston Casas will be able to return early during the 2026 season, it sounds like they’re trying to secure a backup plan just to be on the safe side. The Red Sox already completed one trade with the Cardinals — acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray — and it’s unclear if the discussions around Contreras were a part of those talks or a separate discussion. Even if a deal were to be consummated, the 33-year-old slugger holds a full no-trade clause and would need to approve the swap.

Pushard is one of the older players selected in the winter draft, as he will turn 29 next October. The right-hander forged a 3.61 ERA in his time with Triple-A Jacksonville in 2025, and will compete for a middle-inning spot come February.

Herrera, who is recovering from surgery last month to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, will have an opportunity to resume catching next season after knee issues limited him to DH for the final five months of last year. The 25-year-old slugging backstop is expected to be a full-go at the outset of spring training. He’s one of the better options at the catcher position heading into next year with the caveat that he won’t pick up eligibility for a couple weeks in most leagues.

Kent will get a chance to win one of the final bullpen spots with the Cardinals this spring. The 27-year-old pitched well in Triple-A Columbus with a 2.84 ERA, but he struggled at the highest level as seen in a 4.58 ERA, albeit in a small sample of 17 2/3 innings.

Passan noted that the Cardinals “are not eager” to trade Donovan, but it might make too much sense given the rebuilding nature of the team. Donovan has two years of control left at very affordable arbitration rates before free agency and can play all over the field while producing solid on-base rates and good gap power. Passan puts the likelihood of Donovan being traded at 75 percent.

Contreras has two years and $36.5 million remaining on the five-year, $85 million contract he signed ahead of the 2023 season. That contract also has a club option for $17.5 million in 2028, so he is under contract for a reasonable amount of money for the next three years, which should be appealing to many teams. The 33-year-old hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs, a career-high 70 runs, and a career-high 80 RBI in his first season as a first baseman. While the Cardinals are not eager to trade Contreras, as Woo noted, trading him “would open up first base full-time for Alec Burleson and could alleviate some payroll concerns.” This is a situation to monitor for the rebuilding Cardinals.

Walker’s offseason swing evaluation at Driveline revealed that his back hip was collapsing, causing him to drift forward and sap his power production last season. He said he’s feeling more optimistic after working through a series of drills designed to keep his hips back and allow him to drive the baseball again. It’s no secret the 23-year-old former top prospect hasn’t lived up to the astronomical hype yet, but the underlying metrics continue to tease big-time potential. His 92.3 mph average exit velocity and 78.1 mph bat speed last year graded out as elite-level tools — the kind you can’t fake. He’s made mechanical tweaks in previous offseasons, so it’s understandable if fantasy managers remain in wait-and-see mode. Still, the raw ingredients are here for a legitimate breakout if this latest adjustment finally unlocks his potential.

Boston gets the postseason-caliber starter it needed without having to make a long-term commitment. The Cardinals will chip in $20 million of the $40 million (now $41 million after a trade kicker) Gray was owed in the final year of his backloaded three-year, $75 million contract. $10 million of that $40 million comes in the form of a buyout of a $30 million mutual option for 2028. Gray had a 4.28 ERA last season, but it came with a 201/38 K/BB in 180 2/3 innings. After dealing with some mid-career durability issues, he’s made 92 starts the last three seasons, striking out 587 hitters over 531 innings. He’ll join Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello in Boston’s rotation, with Paxton Crawford currently favored for the fourth spot and then Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison potentially battling it out for the fifth.

A 2024 fifth-round pick, Clarke had a great start to his pro career last season before dealing with hand issues. Even so, his 14 starts saw him struck out 60 in 38 innings. He has a long way to go in the control department — though the hand factored into his problems there last season — but he has big-time upside as a starter and he’d still project as an excellent reliever if he doesn’t develop as hoped. He’ll probably need to spend all of 2026 in the minors.

This seems like a good break for Fitts, who figured to have major issues cracking Boston’s rotation going forward. The path to a spot is much clearer in St. Louis. Fitts is thus far 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA and a 49/23 K/BB in 65 2/3 innings as a major leaguer. His ceiling is limited and he missed the final five weeks of 2025 with neuritis, but he has a chance to be a solid enough fourth or fifth starter.