Don’t Trade Winn Or Burleson: Cardinals Must Keep Core Intact

The St. Louis Cardinals are not in a rebuilding mode that requires selling their best young players right now. Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated made the point clear on Wednesday: trading Masyn Winn or Alec Burleson would be a massive error. The team just finished a solid season under Chaim Bloom, winning one fewer game than the year before despite moving veterans like Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray. The farm system is stocked, and the roster is ready to climb. Selling high on a player like Burleson before he hits free agency makes zero sense when he is the engine of the offense.

Winn and Burleson Are The Engine

Alec Burleson is one of the most underrated first basemen in the sport. He crushed 26 home runs and led the entire league with 116 RBIs across 160 games in 2026. Masyn Winn had a rough year at the plate, but he was not at full strength for a big chunk of the campaign. Even with the bat struggles, he was elite on the defensive side at shortstop. He is just 24 years old and still has team control. There is no replacement ready to take his spot. JJ Wetherholt could shift positions, which would leave a hole at second base when Jesus Baez is ready to move.

Ignore The Noise From Others

Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer listed both players as top trade assets, but that logic falls apart under scrutiny. Rymer wrote that a contender keeps Burleson, while a rebuilder like the Cardinals should sell high. The Cardinals are no longer a rebuild team. They are a team that took a step in the right direction and needs to keep the pieces that work. In 2027, the young men filling the roster are expected to perform even better. Trading them away now would mean admitting the plan failed before it even started. The front office needs to add around the edges, specifically in the bullpen and back of the rotation, rather than gutting the middle of the lineup.

Free Agency Moves Show The Real Path

The front office is already making moves that show they value depth over panic trades. On Tuesday, the team announced on X that 10 prospects were declared free agents, including former second‑round pick Tink Hence and left-hander Zack Thompson. They also re-signed three players to minor league deals for 2027, including RHP Randel Clemente, LHP Josh Fleming, and INF Ramon Mendoza. The team is managing roster depth rather than selling assets. The club has work to do, but trading Winn or Burleson is not the answer.