Three moves the Cardinals must make this offseason

With the St. Louis Cardinals officially missing the playoffs for the second straight season, there are plenty of people to point the finger at for what went wrong and fans will want to see changes this offseason before continuing to fill Busch Stadium.

After a slow start, the Cardinals turned things around and fought their way back into the playoff hunt. But they had a major collapse after the trade deadline and will spend the last week of the season fighting to stay above .500.

The Cardinals should do everything they can to become a factor in the National League Central next season.

Here are three moves that need to take place before the start of the 2025 season.

Cut ties with hitting coach Turner Ward

The offense has been abysmal. The offense has scored the second-fewest runs in the National League while also having the fifth-lowest OPS. Of the eight players who made 100 or more appearances this season only two have managed to bat above .270, and the Cardinals don't have a hitter with more than 73 RBI.

Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and third baseman Nolan Arenado are wrapping up the worst years of their All-Star-caliber careers and only a few players showed improvement from the 2023 season.

While not everything is directly on the shoulder of the hitting coach, the offensive failures throughout the lineup show that a change in philosophy is needed.

Parting ways with Ward would be the first of many steps to restore faith in the storied franchise.

Trade starting pitcher Miles Mikolas at all costs

Making $17.6M this season, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas has rewarded the team by being one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. He has rarely given the team an opportunity to win when he has taken the mound. 

Currently 9-11 with the second-highest ERA among qualified pitchers at 5.35, Mikolas is a year removed from leading the MLB in hits allowed and is ranked third this season. The 36-year-old has allowed opposing batters to hit .283 against him. 

While he has been durable, making 30-plus starts in each of the past three seasons, the Cardinals need more from their rotation. 

The best hope for the Cardinals would be finding a trade partner this offseason, even if it meant eating a chunk of the $17.6M he is due next year, and letting one of their young minor league starters like Michael McGreevy take his spot in the rotation for the 2025 season. 

Acquire a middle-of-the-order bat to bolster the lineup

With Goldschmidt wrapping up his final season under contract and with a few others also coming off the books, the Cardinals will have some money to work with this offseason. Their main focus should be acquiring a power bat to plug into the middle of their lackluster lineup. 

A couple of players set to be free agents after the 2024 season, notably Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander and New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, fit the need and should be high on the Cardinals' wish list going into the offseason.

There is also one name that they were tied to at the trade deadline who would be a perfect fit: Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker. The 29-year-old outfielder has seemingly put it all together at the plate after having a breakout season last year.

Currently slashing .296/.367/.502 with 38 home runs, 110 RBI and 11 stolen bases, trading for him wouldn't be cheap. But the Cardinals have pieces that a team like the A's would covet as they continue their rebuild in the American League West.