Let us now dream on Joshua Baez

The Cardinals’ outfield prospect was recently added to the 40-player roster after a breakout season in 2025

While waiting for the trades of the present to materialize, let’s take a look at the future – possibly the near future. I speak of 22-year-old outfielder Joshua Baez, one of four prospects recently added to the 40-player roster (catcher Leonardo Bernal and lefties Brycen Mautz and Cooper Hjerpe are the other three), three of whom – including Baez – were essential to Springfield’s championship season in the Texas League.

Baez, long on tools but before this season short on consistent in-game results, reached a much higher tier in 2025, and the extent of his improvement is such that it won’t be surprising if he’s a consensus top-100 prospect going into 2026. Best of all, the top-line numbers are backed up by underlying indicators and mechanical changes, all of which make it more likely that this is real skills growth, sustainable in nature.