The St. Louis Cardinals are all but guaranteed a fourth-place finish in the NL Central and are on the outside of the postseason for the third season in a row. Management has made it official that Chaim Bloom and his staff will be undergoing a multi-year rebuild that started with the 2025 trade deadline and will continue indefinitely.

The trade deadline was the most committed the organization has been to choosing a side despite seemingly clear indications it was time for a change in St. Louis. After saying goodbye to Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz, the Cardinals steered directly into their rebuild and will likely finish their post-deadline with a record under .500. The prospects they received are, for the most part, years away at least from being contributors to a major league roster, so what did clearing these bullpen spots, along with some injured key players, teach us about the future of the St. Louis Cardinals organization?

How did the Cardinals performance after the trade deadline kickstart the organization’s future?

Offense

With the Cardinals choosing to stand pat on their controlled players, there was not much opportunity for younger players to make their mark on the organization and play their way into future plans. However, short-term chances came about for some of these prospects when Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Yohel Pozo, and Masyn Winn among others battled injuries, creating holes around the infield. Recipients of that playing time were Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, Jimmy Crooks III, Jose Fermin, and Nathan Church but we did not learn much over the past two months.

What we can say with almost 100% certainty is that Winn, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, and Victor Scott II will remain as major pieces for the 2026 Cardinals, whether deserved or not. I personally feel that Winn is a top-10 shortstop in the majors and, if he can recover from meniscus surgery, even greater while tapping more into his speed and power. Herrera struggled as a catcher and to stay healthy this season but it was recently noted that he will undergo elbow surgery in the hopes of moving him back behind the dish after a great offensive season. In the case of Burleson, he could be shopped by Chaim Bloom but he was one of the team’s few consistent bats while also progressing as an outfielder. I am not nearly as high on the rest of Cardinal Nation is on Victor Scott, but it is hard to argue against his game-breaking speed and defense despite the abysmal offensive performance.

Those are the closest I have in my mind to locks for next year’s roster, which means that I would not be surprised if the team entertained trades for some of its veterans. Players that could be shopped, right or wrong, are Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Pedro Pages, and Gorman. As the team progresses into a full rebuild, selling high on Donovan while clearing space by trading the other three could be the move the organization needs to finally get some answers as they look to find their path. All this is also assuming Arenado is dealt, which means there is a starting spot to be had at third base along with questions at catcher, second base, and all three outfield positions.

Also missing from this list is Jordan Walker, who has one option year remaining and is coming off yet another disappointing season. If next year began right now, I would have him in Memphis until he can show signs of prolonged success. To me, there is no need to deal him now, while his value is at its lowest and he still has the option to go down to the minors. He was not the only one to struggle, though, as the team ranks near the bottom in every major offensive category since the trade deadline. Their .234 batting average since August 1 is good for 25th in the majors and 13th in the National League. The team has hit a total of 38 homers since the deadline, last in all of baseball, and their lack of power allows other pitchers to attack the zone as evidenced by the Cardinals’ miserable 6.8% walk rate, 28th in MLB, and their 24.5% strikeout rate is second-worst in the NL. By measure of WRC+, the Cardinals only have four hitters better than average. A lot has to change.

Unfortunately, what this is saying is that we learned very little about the Cardinals return to relevancy with the offense as the organization opted to run it back with many of the same pieces from multiple disappointing seasons. Until Chaim Bloom comes in and either tells us what his plan is via words or actions, I fear we are at least a couple years away from learning what the Cardinals have in their young hitters.

Pitching

On the pitching side, the Cardinals were lucky (read: unlucky) enough to have only used six starting pitchers all season and that sixth only came as Michael McGreevy took the place of Erick Fedde 20 starts too late. Even with that level of inning eating, the pitching staff has more holes than the lineup.

Miles Mikolas finished his Cardinal career with another inning-eater year and will close the book on his seven-year stay with one more start this season. He was hardly valuable at the end of his tenure, but he will need to be replaced regardless. Staff ace Sonny Gray may also be departing from St. Louis if he decides to revisit his no-trade clause decision and accept a deal to a contender. Matthew Liberatore seemed like a surprising addition to the starting pitcher competition in Spring Training, but he performed well enough to remain in the rotation all season. In his first year as a full-time starter in the majors, Liberatore ran into a wall in the second half, but he still had a solid season and put up the staff’s lowest ERA. He and Michael McGreevy are the only sure arms to be included in next year’s rotation, as McGreevy has been effective with his extended stay in the majors. Less certain is Andre Pallante, who has not won a game since the end of July and has a 7.12 ERA in nine starts since the deadline. He has done little to deserve a spot in next year’s rotation, but he may get first dibs in a wide open pitching staff.

Assuming that just two of the five spots are filled, the Cardinals will have to decide how cheap they want to go to employ those final three openings. Potentially, both Kyle Leahy and Matt Svanson could be options, but they are years removed from regular starting pitcher duties. Top pitching prospect Quinn Mathews may get first crack if he can prove he is healthy and can command his pitches with consistency, two questions he still faces this offseason. The minor league staffs were hammered with injuries all year, with a handful of pitchers undergoing season-ending surgeries or missing extended time with other maladies. Bloom’s actions will show how strict of a budget he is operating with as he attempts to fill three spots.

The pitching is going to be a huge question throughout this rebuild and the second-half performance from the team did not do much to provide any answers. The organization’s top minor league pitchers this year were 36-year-old Aaron Wilkerson, who last pitched in the bigs in 2019, and 30-year-old Curtis Taylor, who has yet to make his major league debut. I will be extremely disappointed if they do not sign at least two starters with major league experience, preferably quickly in the offseason just to move things along.

As it turns out, fans did not get to learn much about the 2026 Cardinals even after their trades at this year’s deadline. Sitting in the middle is a tough spot to be in any sport, but in baseball, it makes it harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Without knowing Chaim Bloom’s opinion on the current roster, or how much the DeWitt’s are going to allow him to spend, there is no way in knowing what the plan is moving forward.