Major decisions must be made this offseason.
Not only are St. Louis Cardinals supporters disappointed by their second consecutive season without a postseason appearance, but Willson Contreras has also expressed his dissatisfaction with the franchise.
“The only thing we can do is turn up next year and continue working. But, as an organization, I believe the Cardinals are one of the largest in baseball, and if I were them, if I was in the front office, I’d have to be hungry to win this division,” Contreras said.
Contreras chastised the executive staff in large part because they fielded an offense that ended at the bottom of the league in almost every significant offensive measure, but he also questioned their will to win. If that’s not a wake-up call, I’m not sure what is.
While the Cardinals may finish above.500 this season, they will miss out on the playoffs. They have not won a postseason game since 2020. They have not won a postseason series since 2019. This is one of the most successful teams in professional sports history, yet they haven’t won nearly enough recently.
Hopefully, Contreras’ statements will act as a wake-up call for the front office to get things done. These four moves would address Contreras’ challenge.
4) An extension can’t stop the Cardinals from firing Oli Marmol
For no apparent reason, the Cardinals elected to extend Oli Marmol ahead of the 2024 season. That’s correct, they awarded the manager who led the team to 71 wins in 2023 an agreement to stay in St. Louis beyond the 2024 season. That was done mostly to keep him from becoming a lame duck.
Marmol is not to blame for everything that has gone wrong for St. Louis this year and last, but three years into his management tenure, are we confident he is making this squad any better? It seems like the Cardinals only go on hot streaks when he gets himself ejected, which is strange.
It’s difficult to identify what beneficial traits Marmol has contributed to this organization, whereas things like giving players too many scheduled days off and flat-out calling them out for no reason are obvious negatives.
Something has to change after another season of failure. We know Mozeliak isn’t leaving, so Marmol really should. Marmol’s term has proven ineffective. Rather than prolonging the situation only because they extended him, Mozeliak and company must be willing to let him go. If the Cincinnati Reds can accomplish it, they can too.
Marmol’s term has proven ineffective. Rather than prolonging the situation only because they extended him, Mozeliak and company must be willing to let him go. If the Cincinnati Reds can accomplish it, they can too.
3) The Cardinals must commit to or trade Jordan Walker
This isn’t a legitimate move, but the Cardinals can’t keep messing about with Jordan Walker. They must decide whether he is a member of their core or not. He’s demonstrated everything he has to prove in the minors and now needs time in the majors to demonstrate his abilities.
Walker is only hitting.229 with a.270 OBP since the Cardinals made him an everyday player down the stretch, but he has demonstrated his enormous potential by recording a five-hit game, hitting five home runs in only 74 plate appearances, and driving in 14 runs in 20 games.
Has Walker performed well enough in September to secure a regular role on the 2025 Cardinals? That’s a question only Mozeliak and his team can answer, but if the answer is no, he must be traded. Keeping him in Triple-A will just reduce his worth further, limiting what St. Louis can get in a trade, and is unlikely to benefit Walker, who has already spent a significant amount of time there.
Trading Walker can provide the Cardinals with a valuable addition to their rotation or lineup. Keeping him is also an option, but only if he is an everyday player with more than three weeks of production. The ball is in your court, Mo.
2) Acquiring a frontline starting pitcher is a must for the Cardinals
St. Louis’ rotation was an apparent weakness in 2023, so Mozeliak made sure to add reinforcements by signing Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn early in the offseason. The Cardinals rotation improved, but they remain 22nd in the majors with a 4.35 ERA as of this writing. That, obviously, requires improvement.
The Cardinals could easily go with a rotation of Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Andre Pallante in 2025, but that’s not what Contreras wants. The Cardinals need a frontline starter, especially given how Gray and Fedde finished their seasons.
Mozeliak must complete the transaction, whether by free agency or trade. Lynn and Gibson exceeded expectations, but only because they were low to begin with. There are various difference makers in free agency, like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell, to mention a few. There should be multiple starters available on the trading market.
Adding another high-end starter to this rotation would demonstrate Mozeliak’s will to win now. Failing to do so and sticking with what they have, or pursuing the same route they took last offseason by signing aging starters to one-year contracts, would be a costly error.
1) The Cardinals must sign a power bat
Paul Goldschmidt, who is tied for the team lead with 21 home runs, is ready to enter free agency. Based on his performance this season, it would be silly to bring him back, especially if he wants to be an everyday player. Nolan Gorman, the team’s third-leading home run hitter, is now in the minors due to his troubles.
It is up to them to choose the power bat they will obtain. Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, two of the game’s best power-hitting first basemen, are about to enter free agency. They are both younger and far better than Goldschmidt at this point in his career. They would cost more in terms of time and money, yet serious teams explore enhancements of that magnitude, especially when power is needed.
The basic truth is that an expensive power bat to slot into the middle of the order and provide the Cardinals with the production they expected from Goldschmidt (and Nolan Arenado) would go a long way in St. Louis.
