Inside The Cardinals

What's Wrong With Cardinals 1 Month Before Opening Day

The St. Louis Cardinals are one month away from real action.
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

Opening Day is one month away for the St. Louis Cardinals.

It was a wild offseason full of trades for the organization. When the Cardinals take the field on Opening Day, they are going to look much different from the way they did when the 2025 season wrapped up. The Cardinals fully embraced the idea of a reset this offseason by trading Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray away. There's a lot to like about the young guys on the roster and the club clearly is trying to see what it has for the future.

With one month to go, let's take a look at where things stand with the organization. Naturally, let's kick off with what's wrong with the club heading into Opening Day.

The Cardinals have one month until Opening Day

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) takes questions from the media before spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Bullpen
If the Cardinals are going to improve any area before Opening Day gets here, the easiest one would be the bullpen. The Cardinals signed Ryne Stanek this offseason, which was a good get by the club. But there are still question marks, especially because JoJo Romero has been endlessly floated as a trade chip since the offseason began. Romero is still in town, which is a positive for the production of the Cardinals' bullpen. But with only one season left of control before free agency and his trade value still high, it wouldn't hurt to move him now to guarantee a solid return.

There are relievers still looking for new homes who would be worth a look for the Cardinals, including Michael Kopech and Danny Coulombe.

Outfield Depth
With Lars Nootbaar still up in the air for Opening Day, the Cardinals are a bit thin in the outfield. The perception could change if the Cardinals are comfortable with Thomas Saggese or José Fermín playing in the outfield early on. If not, there are options available, like old friend Tommy Pham.

Outside of these two areas, the club arguably is in a good place. The goal of the 2026 season clearly is to see what the team has. There is a lot of depth and the young guys are going to get playing time. The team may struggle in the standings, but in the long run this season is going to be very important.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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