Cardinals Stuck Between 'Gray Area' Of Contention & Rebuilding After Weak Offseason

St. Louis doesn't have a clear direction for the future

Sep 3, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) smashes his bat after grounding out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are about to embark on an unpredictable 2025 season after failing to make several important decisions this winter.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak declared an organizational reset shortly after St. Louis' 2024 season ended, which marked back-to-back years of missing the playoffs for the 11-time World Series champions.

Many thought Mozeliak and the Cardinals' front office would trade several veterans this offseason to help rebuild the franchise but sadly, things didn't go according to plan. It's challenging to tell where St. Louis' future is headed.

"The Cardinals failed in their goal to get younger during the offseason, with Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and other veterans still on the roster after a winter of trade rumors," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote Monday. "It's hard to start retooling until they are able to shed some of those high-priced veterans from the roster, so they are in a gray area between contention and rebuilding for now."

Arenado, who partially invoked his full no-trade clause for a select handful of teams, failed to find a suitable trade destination this winter, primarily due to the three years and $64 million remaining on his contract and his poor 2024 performance.

Gray and three-time All-Star Willson Contreras seem to have no intentions of leaving St. Louis before their contracts expire, with both invoking their full no-trade clauses early this offseason. Neither fan favorite has indicated having a problem with helping the franchise rebuild.

Several other key assets, such as 2024 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Ryan Helsley and $7.5 million starting pitcher Fedde, could have been dealt this winter to help the Cardinals restock their farm system. Still, Mozeliak elected to retain them for the final year of their contracts -- a blown opportunity to maximize their trade values.

It's safe to say the Cardinals' winter was a bust. With this year's roster barely altered from last season's, it'll be interesting to see if the outcome will be different.

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