Cardinals 'On The Cusp' Of Promoting Phenom, Per ESPN's Jeff Passan

If you are a St. Louis Cardinals fan, there's likely some disappointment right now.

The last three seasons haven't gone as planned. The 2023 season was a disaster. Last season was better, but didn't lead to a playoff spot despite buying ahead of the trade deadline. The Cardinals had low expectations heading into 2025, and shined early on but have struggled in the second half. St. Louis traded Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton away.

Now, with the trade deadline behind us, there's been chatter already about how the Cardinals are hurdling towards a full-blown rebuild. It's a lot to take in after years of dominance and certainly is an uncomfortable position for St. Louis.

While this is the case, there are pieces to be excited about in the majors right now and a potential future star on the way.

Cardinals No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt is thriving in the minors right now. The 22-year-old is one step away from the big leagues right now with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He's played 16 games in Triple-A and has slashed .344/.425/.754 with six homers, 12 RBIs, five doubles, and 19 runs scored. Wetherholt also got some action this weekend at third base, which is interesting with Nolan Areando currently on the Injured List.

Masyn Winn is the Cardinals' shortstop and is just 23 years old. A left side of the infield featuring Winn at shortstop and Wetherholt at third base for years to come is a fun idea.

For all of the negatives out there right now, there's reasons for optimism starting with Wetherholt. ESPN's Jeff Passan gave out trade deadline awards and in the process talked about Wetherholt and the Cardinals' strategy moving forward. On the bright side, Passan called Wetherholt a "future star" and said there's an "urgency for change."

"There is urgency for change with the Cardinals; it's just not the sort of urgency that needed to be met by an outgoing executive," Passan said. "For all the disappointment the Cardinals have provided in the last three seasons -- attendance is down in that time from more than 40,000 per game to less than 29,000 -- they've got plenty of room to expand their payroll, a future star on the cusp of the big leagues in JJ Wetherholt and a wide suite of options going into this winter. In a division as competitive as the NL Central will be over the next half-decade, they're going to need everything they can get."

Changes are coming to the organization and that's clearly needed right now. The attendance issues have been a talking point all seasons. Fans are upset and there's no end to that in sight. Wetherholt is a potential star and is someone who can help quickly, the Cardinals also do need to spend if they want to turn things around as fast as possible.

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