The Cardinals began their offseason by announcing major changes to the baseball operations staff and pledging to refocus on player development. Their efforts to free up playing time for younger players came up empty, however, and they'll run it back with nearly an identical roster.
Major League Signings
- Phil Maton, RHP: One year, $2MM
Option Decisions
- Declined $12MM club option on RHP Kyle Gibson
- Declined $12MM club option on RHP Lance Lynn
- Declined $6MM club option on RHP Keynan Middleton
Trades and Waiver Claims
- Acquired INF Michael Helman from Twins in exchange for cash
- Claimed RHP Roddery Munoz off waivers from the Marlins
- Claimed LHP Bailey Horn off waivers from the Tigers (later traded back to Tigers for cash)
Extensions
- None
Minor League Signings
Notable Losses
- Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Andrew Kittredge, Keynan Middleton, Matt Carpenter
"The message is, 'we're going young,'" Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said at the conclusion of the regular season. DeWitt's comments came on the heels of a press conference wherein longtime president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced the 2025 season would be his last running baseball operations in St. Louis. Former Red Sox chief baseball officer and Rays senior vice president Chaim Bloom, hired as an advisor the prior offseason, would take the reins in 2026. He'd already agreed to a five-year contract.
It was a jarring change in tone for a Cardinals club that had perennially sought to compete in the National League Central. Mozeliak candidly acknowledged that the team's primary focus would not necessarily be on building the best roster for 2025, but rather on bolstering the organization's player development practice and building out the type of modern baseball operations systems and infrastructure that the Cardinals no longer possessed.
"Yes, this is a reset," Mozeliak said at the time. "Yes, this is going to be where we’re not focusing on necessarily building the best possible roster we can."
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People have ripped the Cards a lot in the last couple of years, but you do have to give them credit for deciding to make high level management changes.
I myself would be ripping them right now had they not made substantial management and operational philosophy changes.
Yes, sorta kinda. Mo’s contract expires after this season. He was always planning on stepping down at the end of this year, even before things went south. So they didn’t exactly make that change in response to the dumpster fire.
But I guess they deserve some credit for acknowledging their deficiencies and hopefully addressing them.
I think the dumpster fire was somewhat planned and aligned with Mo’s exit. Mo basically intended to fall on the sword here. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking as an explanation for everything.
give Chaim time!
Core Needs Grading
Offensive Production (Grade: C-)
Need: The 2024 Cardinals ranked 22nd in runs scored (671) and 23rd in home runs (169), with a team wRC+ of 98 (below league average). Losing Goldschmidt’s 100 wRC+ bat left a gap at first base.
Action: Willson Contreras shifts to first base full-time, projecting a .260/.350/.450 slash line (120 wRC+, ~20 HRs) based on his 2024 .848 OPS in 84 games. Alec Burleson (108 wRC+) and Jordan Walker (72 wRC+ in 2024) will get extended looks, but neither is a proven power threat yet.
Assessment: Contreras helps, but the lineup lacks a high-OBP or 30-HR bat. Young hitters like Walker and Nolan Gorman (88 wRC+) must improve significantly.
Starting Pitching Depth (Grade: B)
Need: The 2024 rotation posted a 4.07 ERA (12th in MLB) but relied heavily on Sonny Gray (3.84 ERA, 3.12 FIP). Miles Mikolas (5.35 ERA) and Steven Matz (5.08 ERA) regressed.
Action: No additions. Gray remains the ace, with Erick Fedde (4.27 ERA), Andre Pallante (3.75 ERA), and prospects like Quinn Mathews (2024 MiLB-best 202 Ks) in the mix. Matz or Mikolas could shift to relief or be traded.
Assessment: Depth is decent with young arms, but Gray’s second-half decline (4.59 ERA) and lack of a second reliable starter cap upside. FIP suggests slight overperformance in 2024 (team 4.02 vs. ERA 4.07).
Bullpen Stability (Grade: B-)
Need: The 2024 bullpen was a strength (3.60 ERA, 7th in MLB), led by Helsley’s 49 saves and 2.04 ERA. Losing Kittredge (37 holds) hurt setup depth.
Action: Maton (3.84 ERA career) adds veteran presence, joining JoJo Romero (3.09 ERA) and Matthew Liberatore (4.61 ERA). Helsley remains the closer barring a trade.
Assessment: Still above average, but thinner without Kittredge. Maton’s 4.05 FIP suggests modest impact. Groundball rates (46.2%, 3rd in MLB) remain a strength.
Defensive Reliability (Grade: C+)
Need: 2024 defense was average (0.1 defensive WAR, 15th in MLB). Goldschmidt’s departure and Contreras at 1B (untested) raise questions.
Action: Masyn Winn (4.9 WAR, elite SS glove) anchors the infield. Victor Scott II’s speed in CF could boost outfield range if he sticks.
Assessment: Winn and Brendan Donovan (multi-positional flexibility) help, but Herrera’s poor framing (14th percentile) and Contreras’s transition temper optimism.
Expected W-L record: 78-84
Offense: Contreras will be moving between 1B & DH, not playing 1B full time.. Burleson did just about everything he could to prove that he was a legit power threat last year, and I expect him to be even better this year without a huge second half fade this time, perhaps even that 30 HR power threat they need. With better health, both Contreras and Nootbaar are high OBP bats, and maybe Donovan as well. More playing time for Herrera will also help the offense, and maybe either Arenado or Gorman will bounce back.
Starting pitching: Just getting full years in the rotation from Fedde and Pallante are significant improvements on their own. Fedde *is* a reliable #2 starter. The back end is shaky but does have quite a bit of depth. Michael McGreevy is the name to look forward to before considering Quinn Mathews.
Bullpen: Yes, switching Kittredge for Maton (and moving Liberatore to the rotation) does suggest somewhat of a downgrade, although development of young arms like Roycroft and Leahy and further development for Fernandez may help bridge that gap.
Defense: Goldschmidt’s defense had fallen below average by last year, so Contreras, Burleson, and Baker at 1B probably aren’t much of if any downgrade there, and it’s the least important defensive position (not counting pitcher), anyway. Better health for Nootbaar would help the defense in LF. Hopefully, Walker’s defense improves further in RF (and it’s not like Burleson’s OF defense last year was much better) . Arenado is still a defense anchor at 3B alongside Winn.
Just me or does it seem like Mo is deliberately trying to set
Bloom up to fail?