Cardinals Address Elephant In The Room After 2025 Trade Deadline

So, what’s next? The Athletic’s Katie Woo addressed the recent trade deadline and talked about the difference between the two and quoted manager Oli Marmol in the process.

"There will be no mistaking what the rest of the year will look like," Woo said. "Manager Oli Marmol will spend each of the remaining 48 games trying to help answer what things will look like come 2026 and beyond. This is not the same case as the team’s last selloff season, he insists. In 2023, the final two months consisted of the Cardinals simply trying to survive the remainder of the calendar. Many of the rostered players were not part of the team’s future. At least this year, the roster reflects what the organization hopes will develop into a prominent core.

"'This lineup is what’s next,' Marmol said. 'Some of these guys in the ‘pen, that’s what’s next. There is way more enthusiasm in a year like this compared to a 2023 standpoint because you’re investing in what the future is going to look like. That wasn’t the case last time.' But given the Cardinals’ current roster construction, it’s fair to question if the organization can accurately do that.

As Woo noted, the Cardinals' bullpen seems to be set up well for the rest of the season now to see what the club has. But, the lineup gives questions each day. The two guys to watch closely throughout the rest of the season surely are Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. The amount of time they get -- and obviously how they do -- with surely have a big impact on whether they are a part of the long-term vision for the organization. There's work to do, but this sale was different.