If the race does go down during spring training, it will draw a crowd.

Tommy Pham vs. Harrison Bader.

Cash on the line.

"We'll see," Pham said during Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up.

"I was just kidding," Bader admitted later. "But maybe he (Pham) is taking it seriously. I guess I have a couple weeks left."

Bader has much more than a footrace to look forward to now.

One of the speediest Cardinals has moved into the inside lane in the sprint to become the Cards' first outfielder off the bench.

Randal Grichuk, who held the title of fourth outfielder for about a month, has exited the competition via trade to Toronto for much-needed bullpen assistance.

Translation: Fourth outfielder just became Bader's job to lose. And what an important job it could become this season, considering the injury history of the current crop of Cardinals outfield starters.

Let's run a quick experiment.

Pull up last year's Cardinals stats. Eliminate the outfielders who have departed. Look at who is left.

Bader's 20 major-league starts and nearly 190 innings of outfield work last season rank third among returning Cardinals, trailing only starters Pham and Dexter Fowler. New addition Marcell Ozuna is a starter, of course. But first up after that would seem to be the 23-year-old Bader -- unless he becomes the next outfielder dealt away.

He has competition.

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Even after the Cardinals traded Grichuk and Magneuris Sierra, the organization's pool of major-league-capable outfielders runs deep.

Jose Martinez, in my opinion, has more potential at first base than in the outfield, but if he hits like he did last season, it might be worth the defensive risk of sneaking him into corner spots to create at-bats.

Tyler O'Neill's power intrigues, and the Cardinals would not have traded lefty pitcher Marco Gonzales for him if they didn't want to see O'Neill in the majors sooner rather than later. O'Neill, 22, might not be as polished as Bader in center field, but he can list all three spots on his resumé -- along with 31 home runs and a .499 slugging percentage at Class AAA last season. O'Neill is actually ranked one spot ahead of Bader on MLB.com's list of Cardinals prospects. He strikes out a lot, but the ball goes a mile when he hits it square. Sound familiar? O'Neill is Grichuk-like, but the Cardinals hope he's better.

Jose Adolis Garcia, 24, wound up playing 40 games at Class AAA Memphis last season and averaged .301 with a .478 slugging percentage while he was there. He's on pace to be a Memphis starter this season, which means he's not far away.

But Bader has the most major-league experience, perhaps the most defensive versatility of the bunch, and the completed Class AAA checklist.

He was promoted to Memphis in early July of 2016. Then he won the organization's minor league player of the year award in 2017, after he averaged .283 with 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 123 Class AAA games.

Bader, who made an auspicious debut with the Cardinals in late July, slashed .235/.283/.376 in 85 major-league at-bats last season. He hit three home runs and three doubles and stole two bases. He also struck out 24 times.

"I learned more in that month than I did in my entire baseball career," Bader said. "I kind of use that to propel me to move forward. I've had a great offseason. Put a lot of good work in. You change the way you think about the game when you reach this level."

His path to staying has cleared up a bit. Competition is nipping at his heels. They will catch him, if they can.

"I would take Pham," Matt Carpenter admitted when asked who he would bet on in the race everyone wants to see.

"But," Carpenter said, "Bader's fast."

• GORDO: Cards' rush to trade Grichuk seems puzzling