Cardinals' Lineup Ranked 20th In MLB Heading Into 2025

Here is how the Cards stack up against the rest of the league.

Mar 18, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson (41) at bat against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had a very quiet offseason. Their only major move was the signing of reliever Phil Maton, who joined the team on a one-year, $2 million contract.

They also held onto all their veteran players, not making a single trade and keeping the team in limbo for the 2025 season. Ryan Helsley remains the closer, and Nolan Arenado remains the starting third baseman.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently ranked every team in Major League Baseball's Opening Day lineup. St. Louis was ranked very close to the bottom of the list, at 20th out of 30 teams.

"Nolan Arenado still has pop, but he's declined offensively the last two seasons, posting a .746 OPS. That's a drop of more than 100 points from the prior two campaigns, as Arenado posted an .848 OPS between 2021 and 2022," Kelly wrote

"Nolan Gorman has 60 home runs in three MLB seasons but isn't projected to be in the Opening Day lineup after hitting .203 last season."

There are a lot of question marks for St. Louis, a team that is stuck in the dreaded middle. New hitting coach Brant Brown could help improve the lineup, but there are a lot of question marks.

In addition to Gorman and Arenado, Jordan Walker is coming off of a down season, and there is no guarantee he'll be back to his 2023 form. A lot has to go right for the Cardinals if they want to be a contending team in 2025.

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