Why Cardinals Could Shock Baseball World Despite Slow Offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't gotten a lot of positive buzz this offseason.

Any time the Cardinals have popped up in rumors or headlines, it has revolved around players who have left or could be on the way out of town. While this is the case, the National League Central is vulnerable and St. Louis shouldn't be counted out at this point.

The Cardinals won 83 games in 2024 and still have some intriguing talent. Paul Goldschmidt moved on, but Willson Contreras will be filling in at first base. There's no way to know right now how he will be defensively, but he should give a boost offensively. St. Louis has a lot of talent including Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Ryan Helsley, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Masyn Winn. There's plenty of other talent on the roster and Nolan Arenado is still here.

At this point, it seems like there is a chance he doesn't get moved. If he doesn't get traded, the Cardinals clearly would be better than if he does get moved.

The division is vulnerable. The Milwaukee Brewers lost Willy Adames and traded Devin Williams away. The Chicago Cubs landed Kyle Tucker but traded Cody Bellinger away. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have been pretty quiet this offseason.

St. Louis easily could add another piece or two if it really wanted to this offseason. All in all, this is a team with a lot of talent. They shouldn't be counted out yet.