Apr 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles hat and glove sits in the dugout during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Adley Rutschman To Cardinals? Analyst Has Bold Orioles Take

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be one of the more intriguing teams in the league this upcoming offseason.

This is certainly because of the fact that everything is up in the air. Chaim Bloom is taking over and with that being said, the Cardinals are at a crossroads. Who will Bloom cut ties with? Who will the team add?

Everything is up in the air but a rebuild seems more likely than anything, but that is speculation. It has been talked about at length and seems much more likely than adding big-name pieces. While this is the case, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer made a surprising suggestion that the Cardinals could be a fit for Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman.

Wild Cardinals trade speculation is already gaining stream

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

"No. 8. St. Louis Cardinals," Rymer said. "When Chaim Bloom takes over the Cardinals this winter, his priority should be winning back a fanbase that has largely checked out. And Cardinals fans are in the right here, as their team hasn't been interesting in years.

"But is it too soon for a big swing on Rutschman? As the Cardinals seem to be quite a few pieces short of contending in the near future, it may be."

Rutschman is a big-name player who would get plenty of people excited, but this just doesn't seem likely or plausible at this time. With a rebuild likely coming, it doesn't seem like a likely scenario will be packaging high-end prospects for a player like Rutschman. This is even more so the case because the Cardinals currently have three catchers on the active roster -- including Iván Herrera although he hasn't played the position in a bit. On top of this, three of the Cardinals' top six prospects -- and two of the top four -- are catchers.

It's fun to start to speculate about who could come to town and with a new front office taking over, there are plenty of questions. But, this one doesn't really seem realistic.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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