photo: Masyn Winn (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals came to terms with 29 of 30 eligible pre-arbitration players on a one-year deal. However, Masyn Winn did not initially agree, so the club executed its right to renew his contract. Brian Walton explains what it means now and what it might in future years.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Wednesday, March 11) that they have signed 29 of their pre-arbitration service time players to contracts for the 2026 season and that shortstop Masyn Winn has opted to have his contract renewed. The team now has all players on its 40-player Major League roster under contract for the 2026 season.
Today’s announced signings include the following players: OF Joshua Báez, C Leo Bernal, LHP Justin Bruihl, OF Nathan Church, C Jimmy Crooks, RHP Hunter Dobbins, INF José Fermin, RHP Ryan Fernandez, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Gordon Graceffo, RHP Tink Hence, C Iván Herrera, LHP Cooper Hjerpe, RHP Kyle Leahy, LHP Brycen Mautz, RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Riley O’Brien, C Pedro Pagés, INF César Prieto, RHP Matt Pushard, LHP Nick Raquet, RHP Tekoah Roby, RHP Chris Roycroft, INF Thomas Saggese, OF Victor Scott II, RHP George Soriano, RHP Matt Svanson, OF Bryan Torres and OF Jordan Walker.
Brian Walton’s take
This is the annual spring one-year contract announcement for the 40-man roster players not yet eligible for arbitration. It is usually a rubber-stamp process, but not always for everyone.
These pre-arbitration players essentially have no choice but to take the salary as offered – if they want to play in 2026. The 30 named above represent exactly three-quarters of the very, very inexperienced Cardinals 40-man roster. Twenty-nine of them accepted what the team is willing to pay them.
In case you do not understand why Winn is listed separately above, it is because the star shortstop did not initially agree to accept the amount the team offered him. However, since Winn is not yet arbitration-eligible, he must take the Cardinals’ salary as proposed. As a result, it would not be a stretch to assume that arguably the team’s most important emerging player is not happy about it.
Looking ahead, it would not surprise me for Winn to take the Cardinals to an arbitration hearing in his first of three years eligible, starting in 2027 – perhaps unless the club decides to make him an acceptable long-term offer before then. However, the current labor unrest across MLB coupled with the team’s declining financial position would seemingly decrease the odds of a multi-year extension offer.
Also note that in recent years, other former Cardinals including Tommy Pham, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks were also renewed by the team at least once as a pre-arb player. Another common thread is that they were all traded away prior to reaching free agency.
All minimum salary amounts are defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between players and owners, which is now entering its final year of five. The minimum major league salary this season is $780,000, up from $760,000 in 2025.
Under new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals may or may not have a slight increase scale for accomplished pre-arb players above the minimum salary. But even if they do, it clearly wasn’t enough to satisfy Winn.
In addition to his message to the Cardinals, Winn is perhaps also making a point for the Players’ Union that salaries for young standouts should increase in the next CBA. The new agreement is hoped to go into effect in 2027 after what may be a long and contentious negotiation process during the 2026 season and off-season.
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