The Cardinals had a keyword they were pushing Winter Warm Up weekend and in their mind it will help them define the season
The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a very unique offseason as it pertains to their recent history of team building. So often they’ve added at least one notable free agent or executed a trade in the offseason and, unlike seasons past, this one the team has remained idle, not just by choice, but by circumstance. Thus, they’re encouraging younger players to establish themselves and improve from another year of growth and development as a means to improving their chances of returning to the playoffs since 2022.
In December we heard they were close to completing a trade that would’ve sent Nolan Arenado to the Houston Astros. According to John Mozeliak’s perspective he felt that if the “order of operations” were different that perhaps the outcome of that situation would’ve been different. Kyle Tucker, considered across baseball to be a top 10 player in the game, was traded just a couple days prior to news breaking that Nolan Arenado had declined a deal to go to Houston. Mozeliak’s sentiment was that if they had been able to get that deal across the finish line before the Tucker deal that perhaps Arenado would’ve accepted that as a trade destination. Mo also alluded to the “free agent market” as the key hold up on progressing any further Arenado discussions with interested teams. Those teams speculatively would also be involved in the Alex Bregman pursuits and perhaps the consolation prize once Bregman signs would be Nolan Arenado. That is also assuming Arenado sees the destination as a step up and not a lateral one. CEO Bill Dewitt, Jr. told us on Monday that Nolan likes it in St. Louis and wants to remain a Cardinal and hasn’t, to this point, formally requested a trade out of St. Louis.
With the Arenado situation still up in the air, Mozeliak views their payroll space as limited. He also can’t go out into the market in a significant way in order to round out the roster in the way he sees ideal. Mo told us he still sees the Arenado situation as “priority 1, 2, and 3.” Thus, the Cardinals may be forced to bargain shop on the margins for lower impact pieces and if Arenado remains then it will also cut into the amount of at bats they would like to see for other younger players trying to get a full runway to establish themselves.
A consistent theme I picked up on across the weekend was two very intentional phrases: guys were “hungry” and were intent to “shock a lot people” as Brendan Donovan told us on day 1 of Winter Warm Up. From prospects looking to earn their first opportunities in the big leagues like a Quinn Matthews or a Jimmy Crooks III to young players looking to further establish themselves like a Jordan Walker or a Masyn Winn, guys are hungry for information, for success, to help the team take that next step, and be focal points of a team that wants to “shock the league.”
Willson Contreras told us that “when people start doubting me and doubting the team, that’s what I hate.” The Cardinals know that a lot of the league and even some within its own fan base are looking past them and they feel that’s only motivating them further to come out and prove everyone wrong. They’re very encouraged by the belief that the organization has put in them and want to make good on that belief by taking the afforded runway that the franchise is giving them in this “reset” year.
This season may look a little different in terms of what we’ve experienced in seasons past and it may just be something that winds up with them between 80-85 wins like normal. Either way there is sure to be storylines and intrigue abound and the 2025 season is “unofficially” off and running. Three weeks from the start of Spring Training and another Cardinals season is upon us. Thanks for reading.
