Sep 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Cardinals Officially Miss Playoffs With Big Decisions Coming

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 8:01 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have been fighting hard as the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season has winded down, but the club won't be in the playoffs this year.

This was fully confirmed on Wednesday night. The Cardinals had at least a small glimmer of hope, but things just didn't go their way. To put it into perspective, MLB.com's John Denton shared during the game yesterday that for the Cardinals to have stayed alive in the standings, they needed the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets to lose while beating the San Francisco Giants. Two out of those three things happened, but the Cardinals lost.

The St. Louis Cardinals are eliminated from contention

Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

"One team ahead of the Cardinals in the standings -- the rival Red -- fell tonight (4-3 in 11 innings vs. the Pirates). Now, the Cards need the Mets to lose (trailing 10-2) and they must beat the Giants to stay alive in the playoff chase for another day," Denton said.

It's a tricky time for the Cardinals right now. This was a team that others in the National League wanted to be. The Cardinals were perennial contenders but this is the third straight year that the club has missed the postseason now. John Mozeliak will be out as the team's president of baseball operations this offseason and replaced by Chaim Bloom. But, how does anyone proceed from here? The first step is really moving veterans, not just talking about it. It's easier said than done with no-trade clauses, but opening up some space, potentially at third base or the starting rotation, would at least give more space for some young guys to see what they can do.

The Jets have done a good job navigating all of the roster questions they have dealt with. But, there have been logjams all over the place over the last few years. There's an argument that the club needs to clear those up and have more defined roles. All in all, there's a lot of work to do and not a clear path forward aside from tearing things down.

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

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