The Cardinals were recognized as one of the best farm systems in baseball by Baseball America
The St. Louis Cardinals have had one mission statement this offseason: build for the future.
The Cardinals entered 2026 with five top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline and added a sixth when they acquired starting pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 91 MLB Pipeline top 100) in a three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays that sent 2025 All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to that trade, St. Louis has dealt other established veterans in the last year such as closer Ryan Helsley, starting pitcher Sonny Gray, third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman/catcher Willson Contreras.
The plethora of moves has led to the Cardinals' farm system to be one of the best in baseball, headlined by top 10 prospect, shortstop JJ Wetherholt.
In a recent article from Baseball America ranking all 30 teams, St. Louis ranked second. The only team ranked ahead of the Cardinals was their National League Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Another NL Central team, the Milwaukee Brewers, clocked behind St. Louis and Pittsburgh at No. 3.
Here's the article's overview of the Cardinals' farm system.
The Cardinals are in the throes of the organization’s first modern rebuild, and they boast one of the most talented farm systems in the game. There’s a good balance of impact position players in Wetherholt, Rainiel Rodriguez and Joshua Baez and impact pitching with Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews and Brandon Clarke.
St. Louis' latest ranking represents a stark contrast to how its farm has been viewed by the publication over the last several years.
In 2025, the Cardinals ranked 18th in Baseball America's start-of-year rankings.
St. Louis is currently projected to finish last in the NL Central in 2026. FanDuel projects the Cards to have an over/under of 69 1/2 wins this upcoming season. If the betting site's projections come true, it will be the second time in four years St. Louis finishes in last place. That would be the first time the organization has finished in last place multiple times in a four-year span in over a century.
Even still, there's some reason for optimism for the Cardinals this upcoming season. Wetherholt, who ranks No. 3 on Baseball America's Top 100, is projected to break camp with the organization. He's received National League Rookie of the Year hype, which would give St. Louis a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick in the upcoming 2027 MLB Draft. That would allow the organization to add even more talented minor leaguers with its two CB-B picks in the '26 draft.
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