Could Cardinals Be 'Better Than You Think' Heading Into Unprecedented 2025 Season?

St. Louis hopes to shock a lot of people this year

Sep 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) and relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) celebrate defeating the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for an unprecedented season, during which the club's youth-laden roster will be tested and relied upon to carry the franchise back to the playoffs.

The Cardinals haven't qualified for the postseason since legends Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina were still on the team -- the 2022 National League Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, which they lost two games to none.

St. Louis fans are frustrated beyond measure. After the Cardinals' front office failed to bolster the big-league roster this winter, many are fearful of another disappointing season. However, it's possible this year's youth movement could shock many people.

"As we said above, we don’t actually think the Cardinals will be this far down, record-wise," MLB.com's Mike Petriello wrote Wednesday after listing St. Louis at the bottom of his contender tier list. "They might even make some noise in the Wild Card race because all the talk about doing a 'reset' never exactly happened since Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Ryan Helsley, Miles Mikolas, and Willson Contreras are all still there."

After Contreras, Gray, and Arenado invoked their full no-trade clauses this offseason, the Cardinals weren't left with many logical trade options to significantly reduce the payroll, which would've helped with the front office's plans to reset the franchise.

"That’s good news for 2025 competitiveness; it just puts everyone in something of an awkward holding pattern, trying to balance competing now with giving younger players room to learn while knowing that this is the final year of the John Mozeliak Era before Chaim Bloom takes over as the president of baseball operations," Petriello continued. "They might be better than you think this year. That wasn’t entirely the point, though."

Unfortunately, the Cardinals' player development system has fallen behind over the past decade, leading to aspiring former top prospects, such as Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, not being prepared to make the jump to the big leagues.

If youngsters such as Walker, Gorman, Alec Burleson and Victor Scott II have explosive offensive seasons, the Cardinals could be legitimate threats to reclaim the NL Central throne from the division-foe Milwaukee Brewers.

Luckily, St. Louis hired a new hitting coach, Brant Brown and added several other influential staff members this winter to help the club's youth core seize its full potential. The odds are stacked against the Cardinals' success in 2025 but with the rise of several youngsters and dominance from a handful of veterans, the 11-time World Series champions could return to the playoffs this fall.

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