The St. Louis Cardinals‘ offseason hasn’t exactly been a pleasant one for fans of the team. With the front office deciding to kick off a rebuild, that has resulted in several key players, such as Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan getting dealt to new teams over the past few months.
As a result, expectations aren’t particularly high for the Cardinals heading into the 2026 campaign. However, the team has some rising young prospects that they are excited about, with the hope being guys can begin to establish themselves as the future faces of the franchise. Veterans are still needed, though, which recently led St. Louis to sign utility infielder Ramon Urias.
Cardinals Sign Ramon Urias to $2 Million Contract in Free Agency
Urias was a late-bloomer of sorts, as he did not find his way into the majors until he was 26 years old, when he made a 10-game appearance with the Baltimore Orioles. He would end up finding his way back to the pros in 2021, and he quickly became an important piece of the O’s as they gradually completed a rebuild of their own.
A versatile infielder who can play a couple of different spots, Urias is known primarily for his defense, as he won a Gold Glove Award in 2022. That also happened to be his best season at the plate, as he hit .248 while posting career highs in home runs (16) and RBIs (51). With Baltimore struggling in 2025, though, Urias was dealt to the Houston Astros ahead of the trade deadline.
With his contract up, Urias remained a free agent as Spring Training rolled around, but he ended up finding a new home with the rebuilding Cardinals. Reports indicate that Urias has put pen to paper on a one-year, $2 million contract, with the two sides also having a mutual option for the 2027 campaign.
“Free-agent infielder Ramón Urías in agreement with Cardinals on one-year, $2M contract,” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in a post on X. “Salary of $1.5M in 2026 with $500K buyout on 2027 mutual option. Deal also includes $2M in incentives based on plate appearances.”
Cardinals Land Reliable Option in Ramon Urias
GettyThe Cardinals have signed Ramon Urias to a $2 million contract in free agency
Urias isn’t the flashiest player in the league, but on a team like St. Louis that has so many question marks, having a guy who can fill in at several different spots when he’s needed is crucial. Depending on how things unfold for the Cardinals, Urias could conceivably play at all four spots in the infield, although he doesn’t have much experience at first base.
It looks like St. Louis’ starting infield will feature Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Nolan Gorman from first base to third base, but if any of these guys struggle, Urias could earn more at-bats. Having a reliable utility infielder who can come off the bench and hold his own at the plate, while also playing strong defense at whatever spot you put him, will make manager Oli Marmol’s life far easier, and this could go down as a sneaky good signing for the Cardinals.
Cardinals Sign Gold Glove Winning Infielder to $2 Million Contract