The Cardinals have been better than the outside noise expected, and that’s happened after a winter that stripped the roster down and pushed the club toward a younger look in 2026. For stretches, that approach seems to have helped. With fewer veteran expectations hanging over the group, the younger players have had room to breathe and play, and the result was a run of winning baseball before the team settled back closer to earth.
Even with the correction, this season has still been a step ahead of the projections. The Cardinals moved on from Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan over the winter, then brought back a haul of solid talent that should help down the road.
Some of those departures made sense right away. The Contreras and Donovan deals, in particular, opened up first base and second base for Alec Burleson and JJ Wetherholt.
Without those moves, Burleson would still be stuck in more of a DH role, and finding a path for Wetherholt would have been tougher.
But not every loss lands the same.
Gray stands out as the one the Cardinals miss most. The rotation has held its own, but it still doesn’t have that undeniable ace at the top.
Gray’s numbers with the Red Sox show he can be that kind of arm, and his absence became even more obvious when Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins landed on the injured list. Pallante is back now, but for a stretch the Cardinals were forced to patch together innings.
With Gray still in the fold, they would have had a reliable No. 1 starter capable of taking the ball, piling up innings and going toe-to-toe with some of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.
That kind of presence would have mattered even more when the pitching staff got banged up last month. Gray also would have given the Cardinals another layer of depth they simply didn’t have when arms started dropping.
There’s even a path, at least in theory, to getting him back. Gray is a free agent, retirement is one possibility, and a reunion with the Cardinals doesn’t sound impossible.
He liked his time in St. Louis, and the idea of bringing him back would make sense even in the middle of a rebuild.
Arenado’s departure was different. The Cardinals had to make that move because of the contract, and getting out from under that money was part of the larger reset.
Trading him was not the same as admitting the rebuild was a mistake. It wasn’t.
The rebuild was necessary, and so far it’s going well.
Still, the Cardinals are feeling what they lost at third base. Arenado brought elite defense, and even with his bat no longer at its peak in St.
Louis, he was still productive. No one has fully claimed the position as the future answer.
Blaze Jordan came the closest, but his season is likely over after spraining his ankle in August. Having a true anchor at third would have made this whole picture cleaner.
Arenado’s résumé speaks for itself: multiple Gold Gloves, multiple Platinum Gloves and an MVP-caliber season in 2022. The Cardinals were never going to be a real contender this year, but his absence is still showing up in the places that matter most.
In Other News...
Willson Contreras Had Another Dugout Blowup And Cardinals Fans Know The Look
Willson Contreras rehab assignment with the Boston Red Soxs Double-A Portland Sea Dogs produced another moment that felt familiar to Cardinals fans who have seen his emotions flare before. During an at-bat, Contreras appeared to take issue after the umpire would not let him get more pine tar, and the sequence ended with a strikeout and his bat being tossed back onto the field.
The aftermath only added to the intrigue. Asked about it afterward, Contreras pointed reporters back to the umpire named Gary, leaving the fuller context murky and suggesting there was more to the exchange than what unfolded in that one at-bat. For St. Louis observers, it was the kind of dugout-adjacent flashpoint that can follow Contreras around, even in rehab. [Read more 🡒]
JJ Wetherholt Faces A Crucial Test In Cardinals Return Push
JJ Wetherholts return to the Cardinals lineup is inching closer, and Tuesdays pregame workout may be the most important step yet. The rookie, out with right wrist tendinitis, is slated to go through another round of testing as St. Louis keeps working him back toward game action, with manager Oliver Marmol making clear that the workout will help shape what comes next.
The Cardinals are hopeful Wetherholt can rejoin them during the current homestand, with activation possible as early as Wednesday or Thursday. For a club trying to piece together its roster in the middle of the schedule, the timing matters, but the final decision still hinges on how his wrist responds when hes put through the paces before the game. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Walker Is Building A Different Kind Of Cardinals Legacy
Jordan Walkers season has already included the kind of spotlight most young players never reach, and now hes in line for recognition that has nothing to do with home runs. Major League Baseball announced Walker as the Cardinals nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, a nod to the work he has done in the community through his program, Walkers Winners, as well as the strong season he has put together on the field.
Walker, who won the Home Run Derby in 2026, has quickly become one of the franchises most visible young faces, and this nomination adds another layer to his profile. If he goes on to win, he would join a select list of Cardinals players who have previously received the award, giving his early career in St. Louis a different kind of legacy to match the power and promise everyone already knows about. [Read more 🡒]