Why This Could Be Most Important Offseason Yet for Cardinals' Front Office

The St. Louis Cardinals have an important offseason ahead.

Sep 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom in the dugout before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals' front office has a lot to think about this offseason.

Last year at this time, the Cardinals passed the baton from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as St. Louis' president of baseball operations. It was known heading into the offseason before the 2026 season that the club's reset would continue, likely with painful trades involving veteran players. The Cardinals set the tone early and did what they said. Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado were all dealt away. The Cardinals let the kids play in 2026 and traded more veterans at the deadline in Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar.

The 2026 season was the first one under Bloom and the young core took a step forward, led by JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker, and the Cardinals showed promise. This offseason arguably is going to be even more important. With it being the first one, it was much easier for Cardinals fans to stomach all of the changes that were made. But, in general, the Cardinals missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season, which is the longest streak by the organization since they missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 1988 through 1995. Also, the Cardinals have had back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in full seasons since 1958-59.

The Cardinals Have A Big Offseason Ahead

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Bloom's first year of the rebuild began in 2026, but Cardinals fans have been going through this situation for four seasons now. In 2026, there was a lot to like, especially with players including Wetherholt, Walker, Alec Burleson, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Joshua Baez, Leo Bernal and Masyn Winn. Those are some of the Cardinals' clear core pieces. Plus, the farm system is among the league's most elite.

For the Cardinals to get back to the postseason, they need these young players to continue to progress, while also infusing the club with more talent, specifically from a pitching perspective. The bullpen was brutal in 2026. The rotation has a few solid pieces, plus Quinn Mathews showed a lot down the stretch. The Cardinals need to take this momentum and run with it and take another clear step in 2026. St. Louis was awesome in the first half of the season and then ran out of gas in the second half for the second straight season. The Cardinals can't afford to do that again in 2027.

One team that is surely going to be talked about a lot when it comes to clubs rebuilding is the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox set the modern-era record for the most losses in big league history in 2024 with 121. In 2025, they had 102 losses. In 2023, they had 101 losses. While all this is true, the White Sox turned it around in 2026 and went 84-78 and now are one win away from advancing to the American League Championship Series.

Things change quickly in the big leagues and all you have to do is get into the playoffs, and then anything can happen. Right now, the Cardinals have missed the postseason in four straight seasons. This offseason is going to be critical to stopping that streak.