Insider Shares Sign of Hope for Cardinals During Rebuild

There's a lot to be learned here.

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

By now, it's no secret what the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to accomplish in 2026 and future seasons. They have put contending on the backburner temporarily and are now solely focused on rebuilding for the future, and the time to do that is now.

It's going to take a little while before the Cardinals find themselves back in contention, but there may be some reasons to hold onto hope despite things currently looking bleak in St. Louis.

Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed to the Detroit Tigers' recent rebuild, noting that they had come out of nowhere to become a contending club.

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Cardinals' writer sees signs of hope

Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter celebrates his go-ahead three-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"They should look at what the Tigers have done and say: That’s what the next phase of a Cardinals rebuild should look like," Worthy wrote.

"You don’t have to spend to build a core, but you sure can spend to complement it, support it and bolster it.

The Tigers have done it, and their continued success is a reminder that the Cardinals shouldn’t make this rebuild a never-ending excuse for not competing on the field or in roster building."

The Tigers were sellers at the 2024 trade deadline and were even 12 games below the .500 mark by mid-August. But out of nowhere, they got hot and ultimately secured the final American League Wild Card spot.

They also earned a Wild Card spot last year and have a good chance to be at the top of the AL Central in 2026. While this year might bring a little bit of pain for the Cardinals and their fans, hope is not lost.

If the Cardinals can copy what the Tigers have done to any sort of degree, they'll be in good shape in the future. It might take a little time, there are ways that the Cardinals can make this happen quickly.

They can build their core from within while also finding ways to supplement it from outside the organization with trades and free agency. That blueprint could ultimately be what allows the Cardinals to get back to where they once were.

Teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays also have solid models that have worked for decades, so there is a lot inspiration the Cardinals can draw from.

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