SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Alec Burleson #41 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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The St. Louis Cardinals will once again watch the postseason from home, extending a disappointing stretch for one of Major League Baseball’s most historically successful franchises. But even in another season without playoff baseball, Cardinals fans have good reasons to believe the next chapter could look different.
The emergence of several young players has provided some optimism, particularly as the organization looks to build around a younger core.
“The promotions of dynamic prospects JJ Wetherholt and Joshua Baez, along with the breakout seasons from Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker, also gave fans more reasons to get to games, and perhaps some momentum for the future,” as Joey Schneider put it for FOX 2 News.
Among those players, Burleson in particular has emerged as one of the most productive hitters in St. Louis. He led the Cardinals with 165 hits and 111 RBIs while posting a .280 batting average and .808 OPS this season and threatens to earn the National League’s overall RBI title in a breakout year.
That production now puts Burleson in an interesting contract position entering the offseason, with the 27-year-old eligible for arbitration for the second time and potentially positioned for a significant salary increase — if the team doesn’t extend him first.
St Louis Cardinals’ Breakout Star Sends Front Office Message With New Contract Looming
As the Cardinals consider how to construct their roster around their younger players, Burleson has made it clear that he would be receptive to discussing a longer-term arrangement with the organization.
“I’m open to it, and I’ll be all ears if they want to come to me and try and see what happens,” Burleson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold on Wednesday. “I love St. Louis. The family loves St. Louis. I like what is going on here as far as where this is headed, and I think we’ve got an opportunity to do a lot of fun things in the near future.”
That front office message could give the Cardinals another opportunity to secure a key piece of their developing lineup before he moves deeper into the arbitration process.
St Louis Cardinals Have Contract Decision On Alec Burleson
“Eligible for arbitration this offseason for the second time, (Burleson will) take a career year and possibly a league-leading RBI total into those negotiations for his 2027 salary,” Goold added. “Burleson has become the fulcrum of the Cardinals’ young lineup, with career highs across the back of his baseball card, including homers (23), average (.280), on-base percentage (.345), slugging (.463), OPS (.808) and doubles (37).”
Burleson’s RBI total also puts him in position to potentially become the first Cardinal to lead the majors in that category since Joe Torre in 1971.
The Cardinals agreed to a $3.3 million contract with Burleson for 2026 to avoid arbitration. Now, after another step forward offensively, the club must determine whether to continue handling his contracts one year at a time or explore a longer commitment.
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