Cardinals .938 OPS outfielder went from bona fide bust to 'untouchable' in one year

There have been a ton of things to like about the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals through 20 days of May, with the "Tarps-Off" section in the stands, JJ Wetherholt's production, and the unexpected 28-20 record all being exciting storylines this year.

With how well the season has gone thus far, there is now a fascinating question of whether this team will act as buyers at the trade deadline. They could still be sellers with eyes on the future, but this will be a fascinating decision come the deadline.

But, as Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report highlighted, there is one player on the Cardinals who is completely untouchable in trade talks who seemed to be a bona fide bust just last year. That player is, obviously, Jordan Walker.

Jordan Walker went from bust to untouchable

"On the cusp of being labeled a true bust, Walker has broken through this season as one of the best hitters in baseball," Reuter writes.

Walker looked like a massive bust last year, with a 66 OPS_ and a .584 OPS in 11 games with a ridiculous -1.7 bWAR on the year.

Even though he was just 23 years old, the 279-game sample size of -2.6 bWAR with a .680 OPS was very concerning. If he wasn't a bust, it was solely due to Walker being just 23 years old and still having room to turn things around.

Turn things around, he did, as he's been awesome in 2026. This season, he's posted 2.8 bWAR in just 47 games with 13 homers, 34 RBIs, seven stolen bases, a .296 batting average, a .938 OPS, and an NL-leading 167 OPS+.

MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals

Walker was a bona fide bust in 2025, but now he's completely untouchable in trade talks as he's a future cornerstone of the Cardinals' roster going forward.

If there were ever a sign of a turnaround being for real, it would be the team not willing to part with him. Instead of trying to sell high, the Cardinals should fully believe in Walker's breakout being real and invest in him as a key to the franchise.

This breakout for Walker is for real, and Reuter's call of Walker being untouchable in trade talks is the correct trade decision. Walker needs to be built around, as this breakout could have Walker as an MVP candidate for many years to come.

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