Inbox: Are Cards set with their outfield?

Catch your breath yet?

What a couple of weeks it’s been for the Cardinals, re-introducing Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, and adding superstar Nolan Arenado to the fold for the 2021 season.

With all that in the rear-view mirror, let’s crack open a Cardinals Inbox -- the last before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.

Seems like Tyler O'Neill will get the first shot at LF. What kind of leash is he on with Thomas, Williams, Dean and others waiting to get the extended look they are due?
-- @ShaneLoew776

Lot of questions this week about the outfield picture. For good reason.

Heading into Spring Training, this is the main area where the Cardinals still have some question marks. With a projected lineup of O’Neill in left, Harrison Bader in center and Dylan Carlson in right, the oldest outfielder will be Bader at just 26 years old. That was the plan, in part, after trading 34-year-old Dexter Fowler to the Angels.

Defense will be of little worry here, and the Cardinals feel confident that trio will produce at the plate in 2021. But it’s no guarantee. O’Neill, a Gold Glover, has yet to find the sustained success in the batter’s box that he had in the Minors. The same goes for Bader. And while hopes are very high for top-prospect Carlson, it’d be a big responsibility for a rookie to be one of the Top 3 relied-upon bats, as he could be poised to do.

• Adding Arenado makes Cards Gold standard

Expect that trio to have the full inside track at Spring Training, but don’t be surprised if Lane Thomas, Justin Williams and Austin Dean push them -- specifically Thomas, who was dynamite in a pinch-hitting role in 2019.

What do you think Nolan Gorman's future is now that we have Arenado? Maybe first base?
-- @venti2004

A very interesting question -- and one Gorman has asked himself, posting on Instagram the day Arenado was introduced as a Cardinal if newly retired Dustin Pedroia could give him second-base pointers.

Gorman, a natural third baseman, admitted he was only half-joking about that. In an interview with MiLB.com’s Sam Dykstra, he said, “Obviously, they've got a multi-Platinum Glove winner over there. So what am I? What am I going to do? I've got to find a new position.”

His concern has merit; Gorman, the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 43 in baseball, is projected to reach the Majors by 2022. Arenado, assuming he doesn’t exercise his opt-outs as he said he won’t, will be a Cardinal until 2027. Those, obviously, are at odds with one another.

It’s a little too early to cast Gorman to a new future position. But two things are important: 1) He’s willing to be flexible, and 2) His highly rated bat should play no matter where he lines up. Gorman's arm is his strong suit, so a corner-outfield spot or second base are more likely than first. But he’s still just 20. He has time to prove where he fits into the future.

What are the plans for Matt Carpenter now? Is he this year's Brad Miller now -- fills in at second, third, first when needed?
-- @JDSportsRadio

Whereas Gorman’s future was most impacted after the Arenado deal, it’s Carpenter whose present is the most in question. He was pegged for the third-base role barring an acquisition like Arenado; now he’s looking for a new home. As it stands now, with the designated hitter not included in the current health and safety protocols, Carpenter is facing a utility/bench role.

Carpenter started 29 games at third last season, four games at first and was an All-Star at second base in 2013. Tommy Edman has been given the green light at second base, but he and Carpenter could platoon if Edman struggles, though that’d be a departure from the Cardinals’ norms. If not, Carpenter is certainly looking at less regular playing time in 2021, due to be an impact bat off the bench at the very least.

In Yadi’s presser, he said Knizner and Herrera were ready for the big leagues, and they would all be on the same page with Shildt about a timeshare. What can we realistically expect for starts with the two heirs apparent to Yadi’s throne?
-- @sjgr33n

Bringing back Molina was not a token re-signing. Yes, he and St. Louis are inseparable, but Molina has said he’ll play as long -- and as many games -- as he feels healthy enough to do so. He feels he can help the Cardinals contend in 2021.

We’ll have to pump the brakes on Iván Herrera a tad. Given the lack of a Minor League season in 2020, I imagine clubs will take a more gradual approach to promotions in '21 and give youngsters a chance to reacquaint themselves in Minor League game action. Herrera, the club's No. 4 prospect, does not fit into the 2021 picture barring major injuries.

As for Andrew Knizner, he’s expected to back up Molina in 2021 and be first in line to start if an injury arises. But the Cardinals could also opt to give Minor League signing Tyler Heineman the chance to be Molina's understudy if they don't want Knizner losing playing time in a backup role and instead start him at Triple-A. This is fluid for manager Mike Shildt and Co., to say the least.

Reactions to the projections of the Cardinals' third-place finish?
-- @josephflorez

I advise you to read MLB.com’s Mike Petriello’s take on the Braves being projected by PECOTA to finish fourth in their division. Sometimes projections are spot-on. And sometimes, they are very, very wrong.