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MLB
St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Financial Summary
A current summary of St. Louis Cardinals 2026 player cap & cash figures.
RELATED:
Red Sox Acquire 1B Willson Contreras
Projected Total Tax
$119,767,221 / 23rd
Projected Cash Payroll
$114,495,000 / 23rd
2026 Active Roster
| Player (40) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
May Dustin May | SP | 28 |
Free Agent
|
$12,500,000 | 5.12% | $12,000,000 | 2028 |
2 |
Nootbaar Lars Nootbaar | LF | 28 |
Arbitration 2
|
$5,250,000 | 2.15% | $5,250,000 | 2028 |
3 |
Romero JoJo Romero | RP | 29 |
Arbitration 3
|
$4,260,000 | 1.75% | $4,260,000 | 2027 |
4 |
Pallante Andre Pallante | SP | 27 |
Arbitration 2
Super Two |
$4,000,000 | 1.64% | $4,000,000 | 2029 |
5 |
Stanek Ryne Stanek | RP | 34 |
Free Agent
|
$3,500,000 | 1.43% | $3,500,000 | 2028 |
6 |
Burleson Alec Burleson | 1B | 27 |
Arbitration 1
|
$3,300,000 | 1.35% | $3,300,000 | 2029 |
7 |
Gorman Nolan Gorman | 3B | 26 |
Arbitration 1
|
$2,655,000 | 1.09% | $2,655,000 | 2029 |
8 |
Liberatore Matthew Liberatore | SP | 26 |
Arbitration 1
Super Two |
$2,260,000 | 0.93% | $2,260,000 | 2030 |
9 |
Urias Ramon Urias | 2B | 32 |
Free Agent
|
$2,000,000 | 0.82% | $1,500,000 | 2027 |
10 |
Herrera Iván Herrera | C | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
11 |
Raquet Nick Raquet | RP | 30 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
12 |
O'Brien Riley O'Brien | RP | 31 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
13 |
Leahy Kyle Leahy | RP | 29 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
14 |
Fernandez Ryan Fernandez | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
15 |
Pages Pedro Pages | C | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | 2031 |
16 |
Walker Jordan Walker | RF | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
17 |
Winn Masyn Winn | SS | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | 2030 |
18 |
Hence Tink Hence | SP | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
19 |
Roby Tekoah Roby | SP | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
20 |
Saggese Thomas Saggese | SS | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
21 |
Bernal Leonardo Bernal | C | 22 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
22 |
McGreevy Michael McGreevy | SP | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
23 |
Baez Joshua Baez | OF | 23 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
24 |
Graceffo Gordon Graceffo | RP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
25 |
Fitts Richard Fitts | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
26 |
Dobbins Hunter Dobbins | SP | 26 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
27 |
Svanson Matt Svanson | RP | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
28 |
Bruihl Justin Bruihl | RP | 29 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
29 |
Fermin Jose Fermin | 2B | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
30 |
Soriano George Soriano | RP | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
31 |
Prieto César Prieto | 2B | 27 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
32 |
Hjerpe Cooper Hjerpe | SP | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
33 |
Mautz Brycen Mautz | SP | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
34 |
Crooks III Jimmy Crooks III | C | 24 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
35 |
Scott II Victor Scott II | CF | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
36 |
Church Nathan Church | OF | 25 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
37 |
Pushard Matt Pushard | RP | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
38 |
Roycroft Chris Roycroft | RP | 29 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
39 |
Torres Bryan Torres | OF | 28 |
Pre-Arbitration
|
$820,000 | 0.34% | $820,000 | |
40 |
Pozo Yohel Pozo | C | 29 |
Free Agent
|
- | - | $850,000 |
2026 Retained
Cap breakdowns for players who have cap retained. All count against the team's payroll.
| Player (3) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Arenado Nolan Arenado | 3B | 35 |
Retained
|
$20,555,555 | - | $16,000,000 | |
2 |
Gray Sonny Gray | SP | 36 |
Retained
|
$20,000,000 | - | $20,000,000 | |
3 |
Contreras Willson Contreras | 1B | 34 |
Retained
|
$4,000,000 | - | $4,000,000 |
2026 Deferred
Salaries for players who had salaries deferred to the current year. We are NOT counting these against the active payroll.
| Player (3) | Pos | Age | Type | Luxury Tax | Luxury Tax % League CBT | Cash Salary 2026 | Free Agent Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Arenado Nolan Arenado | 3B | 35 | - | - | $2,000,000 | ||
2 |
Holliday Matt Holliday | OF | 46 | - | - | $1,400,000 | ||
3 |
Wainwright Adam Wainwright | SP | 44 | - | - | $1,000,000 |
2026 Luxury Tax Payroll Totals
Tax figures based on payroll data only. Outside revenue sources will be adjusted when available after the regular season.
| Competitive Balance Tax Threshold | $244,000,000 | |
| Guaranteed Contracts | $39,725,000 | 28th |
| Projected Pre-Arbitration Contracts | $13,120,000 | - |
| Injured Contracts | $0 | - |
| Retained Contracts | $44,555,555 | - |
| Player Benefits | $18,000,000 | - |
| Minor League Contracts | $2,700,000 | - |
| Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool Contribution | $1,666,666 | - |
| Projected Tax Payroll | $119,767,221 | - |
| Projected Competitive Balance Tax Space | $124,232,779 | - |
|
Projected Tax Bill
This team is currently a tax repeater at 20%.
|
$0 | - |
Glossary
First-Time Payor:
- 20% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 32% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 62.5% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 80% for exceeding by $60M+
Second-Time Payor:
- 30% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 42% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 75% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 90% for exceeding by $60M+
Third-Time (or more) Payor:
- 50% for exceeding by $20M or less
- 62% for exceeding by $20M-$40M
- 95% for exceeding by $40M-$60M
- 110% for exceeding by $60M+
Teams are considered “tax repeaters” when they exceed the threshold in consecutive seasons. They revert back to First-Time status after completing one season below the threshold.
Luxury Tax salaries are based on the Average Annual Value of all 40-man roster contracts, guaranteed contracts on the 60-day IL, retained salary from trades or releases, buried contracts in the minor leagues, a player benefits stipend, and the required pre-arbitration bonus pool contribution.
Players who are acquired or have contracts purchased during the season are calculated at a rate based on the amount of league days remaining in the season. If multiple years remain on the contract at the time of acquisition, the AAV is recalculated based on the total guaranteed money remaining.
Pre-Arbitration Players (0-3 years of service) are currently estimated at $820,000 ($40k above the $780,000 MLB minimum) Arbitration Salaries (3-6 years of service) are currently estimated based on the level of service (Arbitration 1-4), and Spotrac’s current Market Valuation for that player.
Player Benefits account for insurance, room & board stipends, transportation fees, etc…
The MLB Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool is a $50 million pot of money created in the 2022 CBA to reward top-performing young players (under three years of service time) who are not yet eligible for salary arbitration. It's funded by all 30 teams, split into award bonuses and a statistical pool based on a version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
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