Cardinals Likely To Actively Shop Star Players During Rebuild

It's going to be a busy offseason in St. Louis

Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had another disappointing year in 2025, going 78-84 and missing the postseason for the third straight year. Now, under Chaim Bloom, the work will soon begin on a very crucial offseason. 

This means that they will be very busy this offseason in terms of making moves, but the moves they make will likely be a lot different than previous years.

John Denton of MLB.com recently outlined what fans should expect this offseason, and based on his reports, the Cardinals seem prepared to go all in on a rebuild and focus almost solely on the future rather than contending in 2026, which will include trading some key players.

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Cardinals To Fully Embrace Rebuild, Shop Stars

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) collects a ball hit by the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

“I think that full commitment to the young players -- and a full-on rebuild -- will finally take shape in 2026. The trade markets for Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and even Nolan Arenado should be strong, and Bloom is aware that the franchise needs to move on from many of the veterans on the team to shift the focus onto the young players thought to be the future of the franchise,” Denton wrote.

The markets for Gray, Donovan and Arenado should be much stronger this offseason. Gray chose to stay in St. Louis last year, but changed his tune after the Cardinals were eliminated in September.

Arenado was almost traded last winter, but the Cardinals appear to be more willing to eat some salary this winter, which should make a trade easier. Donovan has the most value of all the Cardinals trade chips, so he could bring back a big haul of prospects.

But it appears that the Cardinals are likely to trade all three stars this offseason, which means they are going to fully commit to a rebuild. It won’t be a complete teardown, but the Cardinals are clearly focused on the future rather than trying to contend.

They’ll be an interesting team to watch this winter as Bloom tries to bring back the best possible haul for his stars. St. Louis will likely look to add some young controllable pitching in trades and potentially dive into the free agent market for a bargain addition or two on the pitching side.

We’ll see what the rest of the offseason holds for St. Louis.

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