Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cardinals Insider Predicts 'Traditional Rebuild' After 2025

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals recently lost a series to the Cincinnati Reds and have fallen to five games back of the New York Mets of the third National League Wild Card spot. Just nine games remain on the regular season schedule for 2025, and St. Louis has just one home series left. They'll take on the Milwaukee Brewers starting Friday night.

By now, it's obvious that the Cardinals are going to rebuild and take a step back from contention. Chaim Bloom will take over for John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations after the season ends, and it appears that this won't be a quick fix for St. Louis.

Katie Woo of The Athletic outlined just what this rebuild could look like for the Cardinals.

Cardinals Expected To Execute 'Traditional Rebuild'

David Kohl-Imagn Images

"The Cardinals’ 40-man roster has lacked depth for multiple seasons. The issues within theminor-league system were exposed last fall. Bloom and assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio implemented measures to improve the franchise’s infrastructure. They will continue to oversee and expand on those changes once Bloom takes over at the end of the season. But based on the underwhelming results of 2025, the 40-man roster will require just as much attention, which suggests a more traditional rebuild looming in St. Louis," Woo wrote.

This rebuild could include St. Louis trading away some popular players such as Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Arenado, or even Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, though the latter two have no-trade clauses.

It's clear that the Cardinals aren't just a few pieces away from being a true contender, and that it's going to take a couple of years for them to get back to where they expect to be, which is competing for a spot in the postseason annually and hoping to contend for a World Series title.

The minor league system requires attention at the moment, and in order to strengthen that, we may see St. Louis shy away from spending in free agency and even trade away some key players.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Bloom operates in his first offseason as president of baseball operations. He'll bring a fresh perspective to the Cardinals, who so desperately need change in the front office.

It may take a few years for the Cardinals to contend again, but they at the very least seem to be picking a direction and sticking with it.

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

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