Inside The Cardinals

Where Cardinals Stand With 41 Days Until Spring Training

The St. Louis Cardinals have some work to do still...
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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January is here and with that, we should start to see more movement around the league in the very near future.

The St. Louis Cardinals will have pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 41 days, as of writing. The Cardinals' pitchers and catchers are scheduled to arrive in Jupiter, Florida by February 12. The first full-squad workout will happen four days later on Feb. 16. The clock is ticking and there's still some work to do.

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With that being said, let's evaluate where things stand with St. Louis ahead of its final push before Spring Training.

The Cardinals have been busy

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) celebrates after hitting a homer in the seventh inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, Aug. 30, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. Cardinals won 4-2. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who has been moved?
Trade rumors, trade rumors, trade rumors, and plenty more where that came from. The chatter has been endless and unlike last offseason, the Cardinals have gotten two deals done. The Cardinals traded Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in separate deals that netted big league-ready pitching (Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts) as well as pitching prospects.

Big Addition
The big addition for the Cardinals as of writing is Dustin May. The 28-year-old former Los Angeles Dodgers and Red Sox pitcher came over in free agency on a prove-it deal. May at one point looked like a star in the making with Los Angeles, but injuries have derailed him throughout his six-year big league career.

Remaining Trade Candidates
The trade rumors aren't going anywhere. As of writing, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado both remain with the organization. Donovan has been linked to the vast majority of teams around the league in some way. Arenado's market has been quiet. Beyond these two, JoJo Romero is the guy who has been talked about the most as a potential trade chip. Lars Nootbaar has been the subject of a bit of speculation as well.

Next Steps
If the Cardinals can get a large return for Donovan and shed some money from Arenado, that would be a win. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom acknowledged that the team is still looking around at pitching as well. So, if the Cardinals could get two more trades done and sign another veteran hurler, that would be the ideal way to wrap up the offseason.

More MLB: Cardinals, Nolan Arenado Have Golden Opportunity In Front Of Them


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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