After trading away Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox last week, it's very clear that the rebuild is coming for the St. Louis Cardinals. Nolan Arenado is expected to be traded or released next, and the group could also move on from Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero.

It's very apparent that the Cardinals will try to hang tough in 2026, but they won't be expected to truly compete until at least 2027 - and probably later than that.

With that in mind, it's fair to wonder if Liam Doyle, who was the Cardinals first-round pick in 2025, could debut in 2026.

Let's examine:

The Doyle file

The No. 36 prospect in the sport, as rated by MLB Pipeline, Doyle was taken fifth overall out of Tennessee. He took advantage of the transfer portal, playing at Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee during his college tenure. He was the SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and St. Louis gave him $7.25 million in the draft.

He made two mini-starts after getting drafted, tossing 3.2 combined professional innings at Single-A and Double-A. He gave up one run and struck out six.

What they're saying

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile

Doyle's success centers primarily around his fastball, which sat at 91-94 mph during his sophomore season and now operates in the mid-90s and peaks at 100. It has been the most untouchable heater in college baseball this year, coming out of a high release point and exploding at the top of the zone -- he topped D-I by finishing 105 strikeouts with the pitch. His 82-85 mph slider has become a solid offering but he leaves it in the middle of the plate too often, which is also an issue with his upper-80s cutter.

Why a 2026 debut could make sense

Let's make this clear: While a 2026 debut is possible, no one is suggesting a rushed debut, for multiple reasons. With that said:

1) The Cardinals need pitching. Simply put. After dealing Gray, they have major holes in the rotation, and the quicker they get filled, the better. Doyle can do that - for several years to come.

Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy are the only sure things in the rotation come Opening Day.

2) Trey Yesavage went from the fields of East Carolina in 2024 to the World Series in 2025 for the Blue Jays. With his success, the timeline on these top picks is now compressed, especially for those who pitched in the SEC. That league is already better than multiple minor league levels. We saw Paul Skenes go from LSU to Rookie of the Year the next year. He won the Cy Young just two years removed from college. It can be done for the uber-talented.

3) If Doyle gets his feet wet in 2026, then perhaps he can be ready on Opening Day in 2027 as the team looks to get back toward contention. He can then work the "rawness" out of his game by 2028 as the Cardinals really look to turn a corner.

Why a 2026 debut doesn't make sense

1) The Cardinals aren't expected to be competitive. Why rush? Let him stay in the minor leagues, learn the professional game, and work on those shortcomings mentioned above.

2) Given that the team isn't expected to compete, why rush any of the service time stuff? If the Cardinals leave him in the minor leagues for all of 2026, and then bring him up after May 1 of 2027, they will retain 6.5 years of team control, which will allow him to be under control for longer of the team's next competitive window.

3) Staying in the minor leagues longer would allow the Cardinals to fully monitor his workload. At the end of the day, he's a big part of the Cardinals' future, and they want to keep him healthy.

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