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Jul 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Experts Completely Misjudged Cardinals’ Offseason

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 10:54 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't had an explosive offseason like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets, but have accomplished what they have needed to do so far.

St. Louis traded Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox in separate deals and cut ties with Nolan Arenado by trading him to the Arizona Diamondbacks. On top of these three trades, the Cardinals signed Dustin May and Ryne Stanek and acquired Justin Bruihl. Any of these guys could be intriguing summer trade candidates to bring back more prospects. Outside of these moves, the Cardinals have handed out a few minor league deals as well.

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Now, again, not explosive. But just wanted St. Louis has needed. St. Louis will pay a lot of money to not employ Gray, Arenado and Contreras in 2026, but saved money in the long run and brought in Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts and a handful of intriguing pitching prospects in return. That's a success.

The Cardinals have done what they needed to do

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

While this is the case, while grading each team's offseason so far, USA Today's Bob Nightengale and Gabe Lacques gave the Cardinals a "D-."

"St. Louis Cardinals: D-," Lacques and Nightengale wrote. "The Cardinals, for the first time in 30 years, are going into a full-scale rebuild. They dumped three veterans – Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras – and tossed in $59 million for them to go away, picking up horde of prospects.

"And they still are hoping to trade infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan before Spring Training. The Cardinals’ highest-paid player now is Dustin May ($12.5 million) and they don’t have a single player under contract past 2026. This is going to be the first of several long years for the passionate Cardinals’ fanbase."

Arguably, this doesn't reflect the Cardinals' offseason. It's true that the Cardinals have lost a lot of talent this offseason, but the point of this offseason was opening up spots for young guys and seeing what the team has. What the Cardinals were doing wasn't working. They need to chart a path forward and maximizing playing time for the young guys is positive in itself. For example, trading Arenado hurts, but if No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt plays third base consistently, that's a win.

When you look at this young core for the organization as well, there should be hope. Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Michael McGreevy Matthew Liberatore, Iván Herrera, and the list goes on. There is some real talent here and the fact that the team ripped the band-aid off and will be letting the kids play will only help in the long run. Plus, Donovan is still in town and it would be great if he were with the team in 2026 as well.

Also, the Cardinals have a surplus of young pitching. Quinn Matthews and Liam Doyle aren't in the big leagues yet, but they have big upside.

All in all, the "D-" grade misses the mark. If you're viewing the team through a lens of contention in 2026, the idea fits more. But that hasn't been the point of the offseason for St. Louis.

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

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