3 Cardinals Prospects Who Could Make Opening Day Squad Thanks to Expanded Rosters

The St. Louis Cardinals are among the best teams in all of baseball when it comes to developing talent and getting their young guns to the big leagues, and the 2020 season -- should it actually happen -- looks to be no different. With one quirk of the MLB owners' proposal to restart the season being the expansion of roster size from 25 players to 30, a couple gems in the Cardinals farm system could be poised to make some sizable contributions in 2020, starting with this trio.

3. SP Genesis Cabrera

Cabrera made his debut in 2019, but the electric lefty failed to move the needle much and varied wildly from game to game. Cabrera is still worth keeping on the big-league roster, however, as he offers the versatility to start and relieve while working on an explosive fastball, promising changeup, and filthy slider. Look for Cabrera to become a fifth starter or their preferred lefty reliever by the end of 2020.

2. 3B Elehuris Montero

Hitting under .200 in Double-A doesn't often qualify you for MLB work, but Montero's performance in the Arizona Fall League show the promising hitter that he could morph into. The power was never a question with him, and some excellent defense at the hot corner shows he could become an elite glove guy long-term in the place Scott Rolen used to roam. His professional ceiling will be determined by how well he cleans up his issues with discipline. If he can do that, he might get the call in 2020.

1. OF Dylan Carlson

This one is almost a certainty. The top prospect in the organization, Carlson hit 21 home runs in Double-A last year before he hitting .361 with Triple-A Memphis. Carlson's power, sweet swing, and solid play in the field have him ranked as the clear best prospect in the entire farm system. Dexter Fowler, Harrison Bader, and Tyler O'Neill are by no means guaranteed starting roles, and one of them has to come to terms with the fact that Carlson is about to take one of their starting spots.