Two Reasons The 2026 Cardinals Are Different Than 2025

There are some big differences.

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) knocks down a single hit by Cleveland Guardians third baseman Daniel Schneemann (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals won yet another series on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, rallying for a 5-3 victory in the finale. They'll now head south for a three-game weekend series against the struggling Houston Astros.

The Cardinals have not been to the postseason since 2022, but there are a lot of things to like about the 2026 team, even though they decided to rebuild and trade all of their high-priced veteran players. It's a young team with a lot of energy and fight that has shown a lot of promise through its first 18 games of the season.

Here are two reasons this team is different from the 2025 version.

The youth

Apr 14, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run for his second home run of the game against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Last season, the Cardinals tried to give opportunities to some of their younger players, and while they were able to somewhat do this, a lot of them were blocked by the veterans that were still on the roster. The Cardinals held onto Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Ryan Helsley last season.

Contreras at first base blocked playing time for players such as Alec Burleson, while Arenado still at third base created a logjam in the infield. Thomas Saggese and Nolan Gorman couldn't get everyday at-bats with Arenado still around.

But now that St. Louis has traded away all of their veterans, there are spots opened up for these players. And the infusion of youth that includes top prospect JJ Wetherholt has helped bring new life to this team and to the city.

The vibes

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a double against the Cleveland Guardians during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The youth has helped bring better vibes to this year's club. Last season, when the Cardinals got down early, punching back seemed like a much harder task, but there is more fight with this team.

Another key reason for this could be the fact that the front office is led by new people. Chaim Bloom brought a fresh voice and a different background to the table, which is more geared towards allowing young players to flourish.

This has allowed the Cardinals to do things differently instead of following the old pattern under John Mozeliak, which had gotten them into trouble over the past few years. New energy can be a positive for a team looking to change things, and Bloom's fresh set of ideas has seemingly lit a fire under this young group and given them to push to take on new challenges and rise to the occasion. It will be interesting to see if it can translate to more success.