The Amato Report - Cardinals
- Jim Santora
- 56 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Todd made a random comment during our winter meetings that he still hasn't won a championship, and I swear I thought he had because he's had so many competitive teams. The series between him and Sam where it went 7 games was the only WS I remember that I wasn't in; the back and forth and reading the updates was incredible.
Speaking of competitive teams, Todd will continue that trend heading into 2026. They had a strong roster going into the offseason, with some depth in positions that are super weak in the draft, so he capitalized off it.
NOTABLE OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS
Acquired: Carlos Estevez, Brandon Woodruff, Santiago Espinal
Departed: Jung Hoo Lee, Marcell Ozuna, Mike Tauchman, Thomas Saggesse, Jose Iglesias
I actually thought Todd could have extracted more from Jung Hoo Lee...look at CF in this draft, YIKES. But Woodruff is still a good return and he beat me to him :)
STRENGTHS
Usually the Cards come into the season with good starting pitching, elite relief pitching, and a middle of the pack lineup. This year, they're solid all the way around. The OF is one of the best with Bader, Friedl, and Yelich (and Burleson if you include him there). The incumbents returning as usual are Freddie Freeman and William Contreras along with Willson Contreras (though at 1B)...somehow Jorge Matteo, who hasn't had a solid hitting card for years (and is an AL card!) has managed to make the team...he must have something on the manager.
Pitching wise, the staff is led by some dude whose girlfriend is Livvy Dunne. But don't knock the other dudes, they are formidable: Kevin Gausman, Brandon Woodruff, and Ryne Nelson. Shota Imanaga had a 1.9 HR/9 in 2026, so I wish Todd the best of luck with that card (at least it's not my park...).
Relief is good but not as great going into the draft as other years. The back end consists of Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Rogers, and Carlos Estevez. Because of this Todd could completely punt on pitching in the early part of the draft and focus on other areas first.
OPPORTUNITIES
For the first time in Todd's history in the KPSL, 3B is weak. Arenado could always bounce back, but father time, injuries, and back to back down seasons are now making this the standard "end of the road" process. Still, hell of a run. Because of this, I could see Todd with his first pick (mid 3rd round) addressing 3B; I suspect guys like Durbin could fall to that spot.
Aside from 3B, it's really more or less depth that Todd needs to address and maybe find a few guys with a bit of power (good luck with that). But they didn't sell the farm at the deadline so they should be able to fill most needs in the draft.
Projected lineup (as of now vs RHP)
C - William Contreras
1B - Freddie Freeman
2B - Jake Crone Zone Cronenworth
3B - Rotation of Connor Norby and Santiago Espinal
SS - Masyn Winn (will need some extra at bats here)
LF - Christian Yelich
CF - TJ Friedl
RF - Harrison Bader
DH - Alec Burleson
Projected rotation
Paul Skenes
Shota Imanaga
Ryne Nelson
Kevin Gausman
Brandon Woodruff
Keep an eye on these players in 2026 (in real life)
Nolan Arenado - as noted above. Now with the Snakes, I'm curious if he can bounce back in a hitter's ballpark. But we'll see. I want to see one more good year out of him since he's been injured.
Ryan Walker - had a filthy 2024 but went back to the mean in 2025. I assume 2024 was a one hit wonder but curious if he can do it again.
Jake Irvin - Todd's ineligible guy. I only note him since he was awful in 2025 and curious as to why Todd kept him as he had better options. Maybe there's a random breakout in here, but I doubt it.
2026 projection based on Ed's power rankings: 8.77, 2nd place (the only soul even close to the Dodgers - still over 1.2 behind - but .5 higher than the 3rd place Nats).
I love the roster makeup, but I feel 2nd place is if everything goes well here. But the Cardinals will make the playoffs. Todd and his in-game management will easily give him a few extra wins, and Skenes alone will be in the MVP conversation all season long. I feel the offense needs a few more power hitters to really be considered a serious contender for the #2 spot, but with the pitching that the Cardinals have and in the park they are in, they can sacrifice power with pitching and be competitive all the way to the very last out in the World Series. Will this be the year Todd wins it all? If so, I want the longest Todd Schmidt ramblings I've ever seen (and I've seen some good ones through the years).
