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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

Best and Worst-Case Scenarios For St. Louis Cardinals Offseason

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The next few months are going to be extremely important for the long-term future of the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis has been a team right around .500 over the last two seasons and had a last-place finish in 2023. This obviously isn't what the expectation is around St. Louis. Cardinals fans are much more familiar with having a perennial contender than a team on the outside looking in on the playoff race in September.

There are pieces in place that can help this team into the future and others that could use a change of scenery. All in all, it's going to be a long offseason. Adding to the questions is the fact that there will be a leadership change with Chaim Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations. He'll be under a microscope as he tries to quickly turn around the team.

There's a lot that that could be done and we will have you covered along the way.

Personally, I'm not tasked with getting the Cardinals back to contention. Instead, writing about it.

Here is a best and worst-case scenario for the Cardinals' upcoming offseason:

What should the Cardinals do?

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

BEST CASE:
To begin, this is one person's opinion and may not be perfect. But, here goes. For the Cardinals to have a successful offseason, the best case would be to open up third base either for Nolan Gorman or Thomas Saggese by finding a trade partner for Nolan Arenado, keep Sonny Gray, keep Willson Contreras, add one or two bullpen arms, and trade Lars Nootbaar for prospects, and begin the 2026 season with a rotation featuring Gray, Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Quinn Matthews, and either Andre Pallante or a cheap veteran.

I specifically didn't mention trading Brendan Donovan. Keep him too, potentially in the outfield along with Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker. In this case, Alec Burleson also stays and somehow you find a way to get his bat in the lineup every day. You have either Gorman or Saggese at third base and trade the other, Masyn Winn at shortstop, maybe JJ Wetherholt at second base, and Contreras at first base. At catcher, roll with Jimmy Crooks and Pedro Pagés. This scenario would play the kids, have some veteran leadership in the form of Gray, Donovan, and Contreras, potentially bring some firepower back with Arenado and Nootbaar traded along with Gorman or Saggese. Also, keep Oliver Marmol.

WORST CASE:
The worst-case scenario is a little more simple. It would be if the Cardinals just stayed the course almost like last year. Although in the best-case scenario above the team would love somewhat similar, it also would clear up log jams that the team has dealt with all season. If the Cardinals just roll with what they have and don't trade any guys away, it will just delay the rebuild even more.

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

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