Sports

2027 Cardinals Salary Matrix

The 2027 St. Louis Cardinals roster planning includes managing impending free agents and several arbitration-eligible players. Key decisions involve Ryne Stanek’s club option and non-tender or trade possibilities for players like Nolan Gorman and Pedro Pagés before the tendering deadline.

The team’s salary matrix tracks payroll projections through 2035, highlighting active roster contracts and retained financial obligations for former players. Offseason updates will reflect official arbitration tenders, free agency decisions, and potential non-tenders among pre-arbitration players.

2027 Cardinals Salary Matrix, Free Agents, and Arbitration Eligible Players

Welcome to the 2027 Cardinals salary matrix. Rather than just throwing the spreadsheet on the page, I’m also listing the free agents and some details around the arbitration eligible players. It’s also worth checking out the Off-Season Calendar for dates like free agency starting, the arbitration tender deadlines, and more.

Impending Free Agents

Ryne Stanek: Stanek does have a $6M club option ($1M buyout) for 2027 and it’s a 50/50 shot that it’ll be picked up. He was worth $-0.3M based off Fangraphs Dollar Value, but $6M isn’t much for a league average reliever. Eating a $1M isn’t the end of the world either.
Ramon Urias: Technically a Cardinals free agent, even though he was released prior to the end of the season. Being released, the team ate his $500k buyout for 2027.

The 2026-27 qualifying offer is reportedly $23.15M; I don’t expect that either of these guys would receive a QO (Urias probably isn’t eligible for it since he was released). If they were to get one, I’d fire the front office.

Arbitration Eligible

The following players are arbitration eligible and MLB Trade Rumors has projected the following salaries for 2027, which have been plugged into the Salary Matrix:

Jordan Walker taking pre-game grounders at short.

Alec Burleson (4.029): $8.3MM
Nolan Gorman (4.055): $3.4MM
Iván Herrera (3.034): $5.5MM
Kyle Leahy (2.140): $2.8MM
Matthew Liberatore (3.144): $3.6MM
Pedro Pagés (2.166): $1.3MM
Andre Pallante (4.145): $7.5MM
Jordan Walker (3.044): $5.1MM
Masyn Winn (3.045): $3.3MM

Of these guys, I expect that Gorman and Pages won’t be tendered a contract; that is if neither one is traded before the tendering deadline. There could be a market for both; Gorman as a “change of scenery candidate” while teams are always looking for capable catchers, be it starter or backup.

The team could also non-tender some pre-arb players, but it’s hard to predict which ones could be let go.

Salary Matrix

Below is the salary matrix from 2026 to 2035. Bolded players are on the 40-man roster. There is a key for the colors if you scroll to the right.

You’ll notice that guys like Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras are still on the matrix; that because the Cardinals are covering salary still (see the notes tab for details).

This will be updated throughout the off-season and into the 2027 season, so bookmark this and check back often.

See anything incorrect? Have questions about salaries? Throw anything payroll related in the comments.