My apologies, dear readers. I’ve just emerged from one of life’s great grinding moments—purchasing a home—and all the joy and chaos that come with it. I hope you’ll excuse my absence and rest assured that more great content, both written and in podcast form, is coming very soon. I’m grateful that my move coincided with the least compelling stretch of the Cardinals’ season and, like a Green Day song, we’re all just hoping someone wakes us up when September ends.
Before we look ahead, let’s take a moment
to take stock of what we’ve learned: who we have answers on, who still needs to prove a little more, and which players you can probably say goodbye to at season’s end.
What we’ve learned
The Cardinals might be the politest team in baseball. By that, I mean they have the most complimentary pieces in place of any roster—but they’re lacking star power. Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch describes the missing element as “tent pole” bats. The Cardinals lack a focal point to bring the puzzle together. Right now, it feels like they’ve built the border of the picture but are missing the substance in the middle.
When Chaim Bloom officially takes the reins on November 1st and John Mozeliak’s contract expires, this will be the number one issue to address from a roster-building perspective—aside from resolving redundancies and continuing to build depth in the minor league system to restore the team as a perpetual powerhouse of player development.
In terms of offensive fWAR, the Cardinals’ highest-rated player ranks 74th among all MLB hitters with a minimum of 200 plate appearances—and that’s Ivan Herrera at 11.4. For reference, Aaron Judge currently leads MLB at 58.8. If you prefer a more traditional metric, Herrera (still the top Cardinal) ranks 50th in wRC+ at 127. Let that sink in: the Cardinals do not have a single batter in the top 50 offensively. This team desperately needs a bat that opposing teams circle in meetings and say, “Don’t let this guy beat us.”
Another pressing issue we’ve learned about the 2025 Cardinals: they are in dire need of quality starting pitching. The days of effective contact-based starters are long gone. We saw the new regime’s fingerprints all over the draft with their emphasis on swing-and-miss stuff, which is encouraging—but there’s still cause for concern at the MLB level. Most upper-minor pitchers either lack that swing-and-miss profile or are sidelined with Tommy John surgery for the 2026 season.
Who we have answers on
Coming into this season, it was vital for the organization’s long-term future to get definitive answers on as many players as possible. Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera have shown they’re capable, complementary bats for a competitive club. Masyn Winn might be the most talented defensive shortstop in baseball, and back-to-back seasons of league-average offense with room to grow should put him firmly in the “build-around” conversation.
I felt confident we knew what Brendan Donovan was coming into this season. Some may question keeping him through a multi-year rebuild, but the value he provides—on and off the field—is undeniable. Willson Contreras has exceeded expectations in his defensive transition and continues to grow at the position. Given that he hasn’t shown any inclination to waive his no-trade clause, it’s fair to assume he’ll be the team’s answer at first base for the near future.
Who still needs to prove a little more
Victor Scott II announced his presence with authority in spring training and for the first stretch of the season seemed like an offensive improvement in CF from Michael Siani last season. While Scott’s defensive abilities have taken a big step forward his bat still has left a lot to be desired this season and when considering what the future of CF should look like he should continue to work to earn that spot. Nolan Gorman is another name we have seen marked improvement this season increasing his walk rate and decreasing k rates making him a more consistent offensive contributor. However, the defense is still shaky and because of the Nolan Arenado of it all we still aren’t sure going into next season just what he looks like from an everyday perspective. Jordan Walker, it’s not a whole lot different from last season. Stretches and flashes of excitement and then is flailing at sliders down and away or off stride and hitting everything into the ground or popping out. Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante have both had solid stretches this season that can still prove beneficial in terms of cheap production from a position group but for the Cardinals to pencil them into future plans beyond 2026 they need to take steps forward on a journey for consistency. Lastly, Pedro Pages is someone who very few Cardinals fans are over the moon about in terms of his future place on this Cardinals roster. After a month of August that saw him lead the team in most offensive categories and show life and improvement at the plate after most fans had written off his bat entirely would be wise to carry that production through September.
Victor Scott II made a splash in spring training and looked like an offensive upgrade in center field over Michael Siani. While his defense has taken a big step forward, his bat still leaves much to be desired. He’ll need to keep earning that spot.
Nolan Gorman has shown marked improvement—raising his walk rate and lowering his strikeout rate—which makes him a more consistent offensive contributor. However, his defense remains shaky, and with the Nolan Arenado situation still unresolved, it’s unclear what his everyday role will look like next season.
Jordan Walker’s story hasn’t changed much from last year: flashes of excitement followed by stretches of chasing sliders down and away, or getting off-stride and hitting everything into the ground or popping out.
Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante have both had solid stretches this season, offering potential for cheap production. But if the Cardinals want to pencil them into plans beyond 2026, they’ll need to take meaningful steps toward consistency.
Pedro Pages is a name few fans were excited about—until August, when he led the team in most offensive categories and showed real life at the plate. After many had written off his bat entirely, it would be wise to carry that production through September.
Players you can probably say goodbye to
Lars Nootbaar was one of the quintessential runway players the Cardinals wanted to know what they had and his health and performance would go a long way to helping determine his future. When it comes to Nootbaar he once again has been nagged by injury and his performance was overwhelmingly exciting the first 2-3 weeks of the season but he hasn’t been able to replicate it or find a level of dependable consistency and while the statcast numbers suggest that he still has a big upside he probably best serves the Cardinals long term as a trade chip in pursuit of young pitching. Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado are two veteran players its probably time to do whatever it takes to find new homes for to give them their best final chance to compete for a World Series because while they aren’t completely sunk from a talent perspective they’re no longer the versions of themselves to anchor a playoff caliber team.
Lars Nootbaar was one of the quintessential “runway” players the Cardinals hoped to evaluate. Once again, injuries have nagged him, and while his early-season performance was exciting, he hasn’t found consistent footing. Statcast numbers suggest upside remains, but he likely serves the team best as a trade chip in pursuit of young pitching.
Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado are two veterans the team should do everything possible to find new homes for—giving them their best shot to compete for a World Series. While they’re are still talented players, they’re no longer the versions of themselves who can anchor a playoff-caliber team.
The 2025 Cardinals made good use of this runway season. For a time, they looked capable of making a playoff push, but their inability to strike out opposing batters, stop snowball innings early in games, and slug with any legitimacy—while trying to survive by stringing hits together and scratching across just enough runs—is not how modern offenses win meaningfully anymore. Couple that with the fact that most veterans are no longer viable to augment a young core, and it’s time to keep moving forward. Players like JJ Wetherholt, Liam Doyle, Quinn Matthews, Joshua Baez, Ixan Henderson, and Brycen Mautz could all make their big-league debuts next season. The Cardinals could enter 2027 with a much clearer sense of direction, feeling a lot more confident about where they are headed. I expect another winter of cost-cutting and minor league shuffling as Chaim Bloom takes point on baseball operations.
-Thanks for reading
