Cardinals' First Move the Front Office Must Make This Offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals have a clear first move to make this offseason.

Sep 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offseason has officially begun for the St. Louis Cardinals, but there isn't much the club can do just yet.

The playoffs are in full swing. There have been wild-card series in motion across the league and three of the four are now done. The Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres advanced. The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves will play on Thursday with a chance to advance to the National League Division Series for a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cardinals can start to prepare right now for the long offseason, but there aren't many tangible moves that can be made yet. The first will come within five days of the World Series coming to an end this fall. The Cardinals don't have a lot to think about when it comes to internal free agents. The only guy who currently could head to the free market without being non-tendered is reliever Ryne Stanek. He has a $6 million club option for the 2027 season that the Cardinals are going to have to decide whether to pick up — or decline — within five days of the World Series.

For St. Louis, it should decline the option.

What's Next For St. Louis?

Aug 2, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) reacts after getting the third out against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This isn't to say that Stanek wasn't solid for the Cardinals in 2026. He had a rocky start to the campaign, but was good, for the most part. Overall, Stanek pitched in 70 games with the Cardinals and logged a 4.02 ERA in 62 2/3 innings of work. That overall ERA number doesn't tell the whole story, though. In his final 56 outings, he had a 2.84 ERA in 50 2/3 innings pitched.

So, for the most part, Stanek was a very good addition to a bullpen that needed work all season. But for a team that is still unlikely to make a splash financially, paying $6 million for Stanek just doesn't make sense. He made $3.5 million in 2026. He was worth that price tag. Now, he's 35 years old. Almost doubling his salary would not make any sense for a club that needs to make multiple additions and likely doesn't have a lot of money to spend in rebuild year No. 2 under Chaim Bloom.

Over the next few weeks, there isn't a lot for the Cardinals to do tangibly. Right after the World Series comes to an end, that will change.