MLB insider sets stage for potential Cardinals rebuild during offseason

It isn't official just yet, but the St. Louis Cardinals are set to miss the postseason for the third season in a row.

With a 73-78 record heading into action on Tuesday, the Cardinals sit 18.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and 4.5 games behind the New York Mets, the team in possession of the league's third wild card spot.

Add in the fact that the Cardinals are seeing historically low attendance at Busch Stadium, and it's clear that change should be coming. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal predicts that a lot of that change, as far as the team's roster is concerned, could take place this offseason.

Cardinals rebuild set to begin this winter, but many key contributors are expected to return

Rosenthal wrote that straddling the line between playoff contention and a full-on rebuild has prevented the Cardinals organization from making any progress in either direction. That may no longer be the case once a front-office transition is completed.

John Mozeliak, who has served as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations since 2007, will leave his role upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2025 season. Taking his place will be Chaim Bloom, a front office executive who made many decisions that boosted his previous employer's long-term prospects while serving as the Boston Red Sox's chief baseball officer.

"While Chaim Bloom’s four years in Boston were turbulent, the team’s incoming head of baseball operations helped set up the Red Sox for their current success," Rosenthal wrote. "Under Bloom, the Red Sox drafted Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, two of the four players they traded for Garrett Crochet and their latest pitching callup, Connelly Early. Bloom also drafted the pitching prospect Craig Breslow later traded for Carlos Narváez, and acquired Wilyer Abreu from the Astros in a trade for Christian Vázquez."

Performing similar actions for the Cardinals organization will be one of Bloom's most important duties. Until then, the club will still need to put a big-league team on the field each night.

Rosenthal, who labeled All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan a "prime trade candidate," listed a number of players he expects to be building blocks for the Cardinals' short-term success.

"Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera are two hitters they can build around. Shortstop Masyn Winn, a leading Gold Glove candidate with offensive upside, will undergo meniscus surgery in October, but is expected to be ready for spring training and is another keeper," Rosenthal wrote.

"First baseman Willson Contreras has said he does not want to waive his no-trade clause. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar could be expendable if the Cardinals commit to Victor Scott II and/or Nathan Church. Jimmy Crooks heads the team’s deep list of catching prospects, and top prospect JJ Wetherholt should fit somewhere in the team’s infield."

Notably, none of those players are pitchers, meaning the Cardinals' starting rotation and bullpen could get a significant revamp ahead of the 2026 campaign.