State Of Cardinals: Where Things Stand In Final Month Of John Mozeliak Era

The St. Louis Cardinals have 17 games left in the regular season and with that being said, 17 games before the John Mozeliak era as the team's president of baseball operations also comes to an end.

This season feels like it has flown by. It's been a roller coaster of a season, but also one that should get more credit than it has. It was a slow offseason heading into the 2025 season and the expectations around baseball followed. The buzz was low and there was some wild takes projecting the Cardinals to finish in last place in the National League Central. The Cardinals have been much better than that, though. There have been stretches in which this team has looked like a playoff team. And others in which the Cardinals have struggled. That isn't too shocking when you see that the team has a 72-73 record.

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a roller coaster of a season

Aug 22, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) throws the ball to first base for an out during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Being right around .500 signals inconsistency. But, despite all of the negative noise throughout the season and even selling ahead of the trade deadline, this roster continues to give fans something to watch each night. This club has not given up, despite the noise, and have a chance to win each night.

No matter what happens over the next 17 games, the Cardinals will have changes coming this offseason, starting with Chaim Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations. We'll get into all of that as we get closer to the playoffs, but here is the current state of the team.

Record: 72-73
NL Central Standings: Fourth place in the National League Central (17 games back)
NL Wild Card Standings: Outside looking in. (4 1/2 games back)
MVP: Masyn Winn. Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras both are options for this. Donovan was the team's lone All-Star, but has missed time lately. Contreras and Winn are very close in WAR (Contreras is at 2.3, Winn at 2.2). These two are leading the team in games played (Contreras 130, Winn 129). Winn gets the nod from me simply because he's arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game while providing solid offense as well.
Biggest Surprise: Alec Burleson. He is firmly putting himself into contention to have a big role in 2026. He's slashing .286/.336/.456 with 17 homers and 62 RBIs.

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