Cards bringing 27 non-roster invites to camp

The Cardinals on Thursday announced the 27 non-roster invitees they’ll be taking down to Spring Training in Jupiter, Fla., including several of their top prospects but no one not already signed to the organization.

All 38 members on the 40-man roster automatically receive an invite, meaning the Cardinals will be carrying 65 players down to Florida.

Headlining the group announced Thursday are infielder Nolan Gorman (the club’s No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), left-hander Matthew Liberatore (No. 3), left-hander Zack Thompson (No. 5), first baseman Luken Baker (No. 21), right-hander Roel Ramirez (No. 25), third baseman Evan Mendoza (No. 28) and right-hander Griffin Roberts (No. 29).

A natural third baseman, Gorman, most notably, will be experiencing an intriguing camp. The acquisition of Nolan Arenado, who’s signed through 2027, has tossed into question which position the prospect might transition to.

And this crop of top prospects doesn’t include those already on the 40-man roster, including No. 1 Dylan Carlson, who is in line to be the Opening Day right fielder after debuting in 2020, and catcher Ivan Herrera (No. 4).

Also among the invitees is Delvin Pérez, a first-round Draft selection taken ahead of Carlson in 2016 who has struggled to find his footing in the Minor Leagues.

When asked about potential additions over the remainder of the offseason, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Tuesday that the Cards are happy where their roster currently sits, but adding a few non-roster invitees from outside the organization remains a possibility. So far that has not been the case, but St. Louis could always add NRIs and other free agents as the spring progresses; health and safety protocols allow teams to bring 75 players to camp.

Despite no signings in the announced list of non-roster invitees, the Cardinals head to camp with six newcomers to the organization who were added earlier in the winter: Arenado, catcher Tyler Heineman, infielder Max Moroff, right-hander Johan Quezada, infielder Josė Rondón and left-hander Garrett Williams.

Pitchers and catchers reporter to Jupiter on Wednesday, with full-squad workouts set to start on Feb. 22.