Several Cardinals Standouts Due Big Raises Following Stellar 2026 Seasons

When the 2027 MLB season starts – if it starts at all amid all the labor strife between ownership and the Players Association – St. Louis Cardinals standouts Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker and Andre Pallante are looking at sizeable raises, if the projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players are accurate.

Fresh off a 2026 season when he led MLB in RBI (116) and finished third in doubles (37) while also hitting a career-best 26 home runs, Burleson is set to make $8.3 million in the season ahead, according to projected salary numbers compiled by MLB Trade Rumors’ Matt Swartz. That’s a $5 million raise for the 27-year-old Burleson, who won a Silver Slugger Utility award in 2025 and might do so as a first baseman in 2026.

Herrera, who played in 161 games and ranked second in the National League in plate appearances at 717, is projected to make $5.5 million next season. That’s quite a jump in salary for the 26-year native of Panama, who caught 52 games in 2026 after being behind the plate for just 14 games in 2025 because of injuries. Herrera made $798,800 in 2025 when he had an .837 OPS -- .102 points higher than in 2026.

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Walker, 24, set career highs in games played (158), runs (97), hits (164), doubles (33), homers (29), RBI (102), stolen bases (22), slugging (.466) and OPS (.793) after three lackluster seasons. Walker also became a first-time NL All-Star and the Home Run Derby, and the $1 million prize money for that event topped his $799,400 salary from the Cardinals for the 2026 season. His career year should earn him a salary of $5.1 million in 2027.

Pallante made $4 million in 2026 despite coming off a 2025 season where he went 6-15 with a 5.31 ERA and didn’t win any of his final 10 starts. He had one of the team’s best bounce-back stories in 2026, going 12-9 with a 3.83 ERA and 10 Quality Starts. That improvement, combined with 4.145 years of MLB service time, will push his salary to $7.5 million in 2027.

Here is a look at the Cardinals’ other arbitration-eligible players, their salaries for the 2026 season and their projected salaries for 2027:

·      3B/DH Nolan Gorman (4.055 years of service time) – $2.655 million in 2026, $3.4 million in 2027

·      LHP Matthew Liberatore (3.144 years of service time) – $2.26 million in 2026, $3.6 million in 2027

·      SS Masyn Winn (3.045 years of service time) – $799,450 in 2026, $3.3 million in 2027

·      C Pedro Pages (2.166 years of service time) – $796,900 in 2026, $1.3 million in 2027  

·      RHP Kyle Leahy (2.140 years of service time) – $795,000 in 2026, $2.8 million in 2027