I don't accept a terrible offseason. I don't give a [expletive] what Bloom is building. All it comes down to is DeWitts saving money. The Cards missed playoffs by a few games. If you replace Fedde's production with a solid FA SP, trade Arenado for Castellanos, and sign Bader, you'd be in playoffs
Trade some of our talented catchers with Donovan to get an ace and they're in the world series.
Are these things you wish they'd done before the beginning of 2025? Because, I'm not sure which ace you'd be able to get for Donovan and a catcher. Did you have anyone specific in mind?
A combination of both 2025 and 2026 I guess, considering all of those things were possible last offseason.
Ace might have been a tad strong, but Donovan+two prospects for a Mariners SP.
The main point is that they were a couple moves away from playoffs, and another big move on top of that away from WS potential. Only barrier besides NTCs was DeWitts money.
Katie Woo wrote:The St. Louis Cardinals are not entering a full-fledged rebuild under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, but the club will entertain trade offers for several star players as it shifts its focus to player development and homegrown talent.
Bloom is expected to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has already told him he would waive his no-trade clause for an expanded list of teams. Ownership is willing to pay a significant portion of the remaining two years on Arenado’s contract to facilitate a trade, a stance it was unwilling to take last season. It would do the same to move right-hander Sonny Gray, who is owed $35 million in 2026.
Offloading veteran contracts, however, is far from the Cardinals’ only priority. They also will look to trade from their surplus of left-handed hitters, a group that includes Brendan Donovan. A first-time All Star last season, Donovan missed most of the final six weeks due to a nagging groin injury and underwent sports hernia repair surgery in October. But he is expected to be fully ready by spring training.
St. Louis also is expecting to entertain trade offers on Lars Nootbaar, who was in heavy demand at the deadline. Nootbaar, 28, underwent double heel surgery at the end of the season, putting his Opening Day availability — and overall trade value — in question. Still, with several teams searching for outfield help, a market could develop for Nootbaar, especially as his recovery progresses. The Cardinals would prefer to keep Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera, but will field calls on the majority of the roster, including Nolan Gorman and Pedro Páges.
To me, this offseason is as much about self-scouting as g your own prospects and choosing correctly than it is about trading bad contracts.
I hope the Cardinals avoid the prospect clutching plague of yesteryear where they were paralyzed by fear to do any sort of consolidation trade or challenge trade on players they're less convicted. Where they've gotten into trouble is trading players for not embracing "the Cardinal Way."
Bloom needs to reset a timeline and that 40-man and upper minors runway is running thin. Be proactive and identify where to purge before they lose all value. Promote the ones you're convicted and build a roster that isn't built as much on one-dimensional types. To me, the Cardinals have so many bat-first guys and so few who can run bases, play defense, and provide value outside of power.
Fascinating offseason now that Moz is out and a new voice is in.
