While most experts agree that the rebuilding Redbirds are likely to be cellar dwellers this year, it wouldn’t take much success for the squad to write a script for a storybook season
By Ryan K Boman | March 22, 2026
These days, when people think about the St. Louis Cardinals, they no longer picture the perennial powerhouse and hardball heavyweights like they used to. After a century as the National League’s most decorated franchise, the Redbirds are retooling in 2026 following two seasons of brutally bad and boring baseball. Not only have they been losing, but they have appeared both stale on the field and almost melancholy as an organization.
It’s a far fall from just four years ago, when the 2022 Cardinals featured a playoff team and the celebrated swan song of Albert Pujols, complete with the perfect St. Louis Send-off. Those good times have come crashing down in the three seasons since, with Pujols, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina all retiring.
The club has averaged just 77 wins per campaign and finished in fifth, second, and fourth in the NL Central Division, respectively. And even in their best year, they still finished 10 games out of first place.
In the offseason, they sent veterans like Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray, along with several others, packing. They were replaced by a group of promising prospects and fresh faces.
They will enter Opening Day with one of the youngest rosters in the franchise’s history, and GM Chaim Bloom looks to start over from scratch. The goal being, in the end, the ‘Birds will rise from the ashes and be even more talented (and with more depth of talent) than before.
Thanks to the new executive’s shrewd moves, the Cards currently have the best farm system in all of baseball, and there’s plenty of hope for the future. The question is: How much short-term pain will the fan base have to endure before things finally get back to normal in Cardinal Nation? Will it take two or three years? Maybe even… four?
Luckily, there are a few factors involved that might see the Cardinals soar back near the top of the Central soon. While the fans will still have to be patient, this team will certainly be more competitive than many are giving them credit for in 2026
First off? The bar is set pretty low
Along with returning players like Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, and Nolan Gorman, the Cardinals’ roster will feature many new names that fans aren’t familiar with. That’s why it’s easy to doubt this club. Because, quite frankly, we don’t know anything about these guys. And the players that remain have been mired with injuries, inconsistency, or both, over the past several seasons.
With most people predicting the team to finish near the bottom of the division again, likely right alongside the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2026 is already being considered a washout. Fans will likely show up to support the Baby ‘Birds, but they aren’t expecting much.
If the Cardinals manage to play .500 baseball for most of the campaign, the fans will be satisfied with the trend the team is taking. They are less concerned with victories right now and much more interested in seeing development and improvement in the early stages of the team’s massive, minor-league movements.
A good portion of their supporters are already giving St. Louis a ‘free pass’ for the upcoming year — provided that the Cards show some type of growth.
What’s considered success for the Cardinals?
While no one should suggest the Cardinals could pull off some kind of miracle season and win the World Series, that type of Hollywood hype wouldn’t be necessary. The Cardinals don’t have to follow the script of ‘Major League’ for a group of upstarts and question marks turn out to be a better unit than critics believe. One of the beautiful things about having a youth movement is that it’s sort of like a box of chocolates: You never know what kind of strange flavor you might get.
If a few young hitters and pitchers step up and there are a couple of veteran surprises, the team could potentially post a winning record in 2026. And in the NL Central, that would at least make them a nice, feel-good story as a somewhat phantom contender.
They won’t win much, except maybe some confidence going forward and the hearts of Cardinal Nation. That could turn what should be a bad season into one that is viewed in a much more positive light.
With expectations under the Arch at an all-time low, a fun and spirited third-place finish would be like a walk-off Series winner to the Best Fans in Baseball. That’s the beauty of America’s Pastime; the next set of heroes is always ready to step forward. If the St. Louis Cardinals play like those same kind of heroes this season? Where they finish won’t matter; 2026 will be remembered as a good year.
CLICK FOR MORE: The ‘Best Fans in Baseball’ are giving the Redbirds a reprieve in 2026
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Ryan K Boman is the Publisher for the Savannah Bananas at Sports Illustrated and the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Life with Laughter & Love.
Boman is a longtime sports writer & editor whose previous work has appeared at The Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Herald, and Yardbarker.
Follow him on X @RyanKBoman
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