Cardinals' Bill DeWitt III Hints Success Could Change 2026 Plans

Could the St. Louis Cardinals attempt to go on a run this season?

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced a significant change in the leadership structure of the organization with Bill DeWitt III being named as the team's chief executive officer. Anuk Karunaratne was also promoted and was named the team's president of business operations.

On top of these moves, it was shared by the team that Bill DeWitt Jr. will continue in his role as chairman and principal owner of the Cardinals.

It was a busy day for the organization, to say the least. One thing that should give fans a bit of hope is the comments made by DeWitt III. The Cardinals have obviously outperformed expectations so far this season. When the campaign began, there were many around the league expecting this club to be near the bottom of the standings in the National League. That isn't the case. St. Louis has been way better than pretty much everyone expected and currently is seven games above .500 at 42-35. The Cardinals also currently have the No. 1 overall National League Wild Card spot.

The Cardinals Are Going To Be Interesting To Follow

Aug 24, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill Dewitt III. looks on during a ceremony prior to the start of a game against the Colorado Rockies during an MLB Players' Weekend game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

When speaking to the media, DeWitt III acknowledged that the young Cardinals have been "fun to watch" and if the club keeps up their level of play, it could change how the front office views the 2026 season.

"This team has been really fun to watch," DeWitt III said, as transcribed by Ethan Hannaford of STL Sports Central. 'We've got a lot of young players who are coming into their own... Still a long way to go this year but if they can keep this up, it could change a little bit how we think about things."

Now, this is interesting. The idea of the trade deadline has naturally hung over the Cardinals over the last few weeks. How will the club handle it? Could they look to offload veterans, which was the expectation heading into the 2026 season, or will they try to go on a run this season? The idea of flipping players still has made sense in large part because the Cardinals are technically still at the beginning of this reset under Chaim Bloom. But it is interesting to hear the CEO of the Cardinals at least open the door to that idea shifting for St. Louis.

The young Cardinals have been awesome this season. Right now, the club's biggest needs are a reliever and potentially a back-end starter. All eyes are going to be on St. Louis this summer.