St. Louis Cardinals 40-man roster and payroll after the free-agent signings of Matt Belisle and Mark Reynolds

The St. Louis Cardinals have been busy remaking their roster in the weeks since the untimely passing of 22-year-old outfielder Oscar Taveras. They have added the following players, which has increased payroll by around $16.8 million from where it sat the week after the World Series' final out:

• Jason Heyward ($8.3 million)
• Jordan Walden (about $3 million forthcoming via the salary-arbitration process)
• Matt Belisle ($3.5 million base with bonuses based on appearances)
• Mark Reynolds ($2 million base with bonuses)

And there still may be a move or two yet to occur. The possibility exists that the Cardinals may yet carry through with their late-October plan to trade lefthanded specialist Randy Choate, a move that would actually reduce payroll since he set to be the second- or third-highest-paid reliever on the club in 2015. A righthanded reliever also feels like a possibility, given the lack of righties available for relief duty if Carlos Martinez opens the season as the team's fifth starter. St. Louis also has an interest in adding a No. 5 starter and/or long man type in January, if the price is right. But these potential moves are all minor—the 2015 Cardinals roster is by and large in place with Thursday's signing of Reynolds. An extension with John Lackey and/or Lance Lynn that could impact the 2015 payroll also appears possible.

The roster graphic has some certainty to it and some estimation.

The major-league deals in red are guaranteed base salaries; some of the players (like Belisle and Reynolds) could earn more if they meet benchmarks that trigger bonuses.

The arbitration-eligible player salaries in blue are projections from MLB Trade Rumors. These figures are not yet set in stone and likely represent a middle ground between what the player will submit as a 2015 salary and what the Cardinals will, during the arbitration process. Most, if not all, will sign a compromise contract that avoids the either/or arbitration hearing.

MLB clubs have the discretion to pay players eligible for the league minimum a salary higher than the minimum. The Cardinals do this based upon service time, but haven't released their formula. Further complicating matters, MLB hasn't put out the league minimum salary level for 2015 yet. So I've guesstimated what players who are league minimum eligible will earn in 2015. Almost assuredly, each of them will earn something between $500,000 and $550,000, so the range isn't all that large.

Based on these projections, guesstimations, and guarantees, the 2015 Cardinals payroll (without another signing) will be around $119 million. DeWallet is open. The Cards are in it to win it in 2015.