Despite being in the middle of a rebuild, national fans will get to see what the potential future of the Cardinals will look like
The St. Louis Cardinals have spent the majority of this offseason prepping for their future.
In 2025 alone, the Cardinals dealt closer Ryan Helsley, starting pitcher Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras.
The organization has also remained engaged in trade conversations centered around second baseman Brendan Donovan, third baseman Nolan Arenado and reliever/closer JoJo Romero.
These deals have been made by St. Louis in efforts to gain assets for its top-to-bottom rebuild.
The Cardinals can start to see returns for their rebuild as soon as this season.
The club's top prospect and the No. 5 prospect in baseball (per MLB Pipeline), J.J. Wetherholt, is expected to make his major league debut next season and is a preseason favorite for National League Rookie of the Year.
MORE CARDINALS STORIES:
Whatever form the 2026 St. Louis team takes, fans across the nation will get several chances to see it.
MLB's primetime weekly programming, Sunday Night Baseball, will move from ESPN to NBC and Peacock in 2026.
The list of scheduled Sunday Night Baseball games were released Friday (Jan. 9) and the Cardinals will have three games broadcast nationally.
The first will be a matchup on Peacock against the Detroit Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on April 5; the second will be a National League Central showdown on NBC and Peacock against the Chicago Cubs at 7 p.m. ET on May 31 and the third will be a Labor Day showdown against the San Francisco Giants on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 7.
Most games broadcast solely on Peacock will be simulcast on NBC Sports Network.
St. Louis will already look drastically different in 2026 than it did in 2025, even with potential trades not happening yet.
The Cardinals will have at least three new starting pitchers, including Richard Fitts (offseason trade acquisition), Dustin May (free agent signing) and Hunter Dobbins (offseason trade acquisition; currently recovering from torn ACL).
The infield could also look drastically different. On top of Wetherholt making his debut and Arenado and Donovan potentially being dealt, players like Nolan Gorman and 2025 Silver Slugger winner Alec Burleson, who were used in utility capacities this past season, could see extended roles in 2026.
If St. Louis exceeds expectations next season, the nationally-broadcast games could go a long way in increasing their profile for the next generation of the team. A win against the Cubs on national TV would also be a welcome development for Cardinals fans.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!