Cardinals Biggest Question Mark For 2025 Centers Around Impending Rebuild

What direction will the Cardinals take?

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have not made any roster moves yet this offseason, and with spring training approaching, time is running out.

Any major moves can likely be ruled out, as they are in the process of resetting for 2025 and beyond and will focus primarily on their youth this year. This means certain players could be traded.

Who stays and who goes still is not clear, but the Cardinals do want to cut payroll for this season. The Cardinals biggest question mark centers around what the roster will look like come spring training.

John Denton of MLB.com listed this as the major talking point for the Cardinals this winter.

"The direction the Cards are headed isn’t exactly known because of the uncertainty surrounding the roster. The burning questions of the offseason revolve around determining which vets will be with them in 2025 and which ones will be moved in trades?" Denton wrote.

"The Cardinals would like to trade Nolan Arenado, who still has $74 million owed to him over the next three years. However, Arenado has a full no-trade clause in his contract and will only accept deals to certain organizations. He’s already squashed one potential deal to the Astros."

While trading Arenado is their top priority, St. Louis may have to trade some starting pitchers to lower their payroll. This includes Erick Fedde and Steven Matz.

2025 figures to be a year in which the Cardinals will take a step back from contending and focus more on development.

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