Donovan is St. Louis' only All-Star from this past season. He was the team's highest-earner in arbitration ($5.8 million) and has been one of the most sought-after players on the trade block. Donovan is in his second year of arbitration.
Burleson won his first career Silver Slugger this past season, which coincided with his first year of arbitration.
Liberatore played his first full year as a starting pitcher in 2025. This offseason was his first year of arbitration.
Even with the current arbitration numbers, the Cardinals are projected to have less payroll in 2026 than they did in 2025. Spotrac projects the team to have a 2026 payroll of $108.555 million compared to a '25 end-of-season payroll of $153.507 million.