The Cardinals may not be close to the playoffs this year, but they’re also not starting from scratch. At 72-75, St.
Louis sits three games under .500 and will be watching October from the outside for the fourth straight season unless something wild happens down the stretch. Even so, this season has pushed the club a step forward, with a handful of young pieces beginning to look like real building blocks.
JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson are part of that core. Leo Bernal and Joshua Báez have also impressed since reaching the majors.
Iván Herrera belongs in that conversation too, though his long-term position is still up in the air. On the pitching side, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy should all have a place in next year’s rotation, at least for now.
Riley O'Brien has been uneven in the second half, but he still figures to help this team moving forward, and Gordon Graceffo and Justin Bruihl have both been solid.
That foundation matters because St. Louis has real room to grow, and a strong farm system to feed it.
Liam Doyle and Jurrangelo Cijntje are among the intriguing starters worth tracking as more young players move up. But the Cardinals also have obvious needs, and the winter plan should be clear: upgrade the bullpen and bring in at least one proven veteran starter.
That’s why Atlanta deserves a hard look. On Thursday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand added Spencer Strider to a list of players who could be traded this winter, and he didn’t stop there.
Feinsand reported that the Braves tried to send Strider to the Texas Rangers this summer in a contract swap for Jacob deGrom, but deGrom blocked the deal with his no-trade clause. Feinsand wrote, "The Braves tried to send Strider to Texas in a contract swap trade for Jacob deGrom before the Trade Deadline, and although deGrom blocked the deal with his no-trade clause, it’s clear that Atlanta is open to moving its former ace," Feinsand wrote.
"Strider has been out since mid-June with right elbow inflammation, and while it’s unlikely that he will return this season, there is an outside chance he could be available out of the bullpen during the postseason."
Strider comes with plenty of risk. He has made only eight starts this season and just 33 total appearances over the last three years, with injuries interrupting what had looked like a fast-rising career.
But the ceiling is still obvious. From 2021 through 2023, he posted a 3.37 ERA in 65 outings and made an All-Star team, and in 2022 he logged a 2.67 ERA in 31 appearances.
He’s also only 27.
The contract is another reason he stands out. Strider is owed $22 million per year for the next two seasons, with a $22 million club option in 2029.
Because of the injuries, his trade value is lower than it once was, which could give St. Louis a chance to buy in at a discount.
The Cardinals have done a good job keeping starters healthy in recent years, and if they could get Strider right, he could give them the frontline arm they still need.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Real Third Base Answer To Watch
The Cardinals look set up nicely around the infield heading into 2026, with JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson giving the group a solid core. Third base is the one spot still without a clear long-term answer, and Nolan Gormans uneven play has kept that conversation open rather than settled.
Jess Bez has made that vacancy a lot more interesting. Acquired from the Mets, the Double-A infielder has shown the kind of power that forces a team to pay attention, and his rise gives St. Louis another legitimate option to track as roster decisions get closer. If the bat keeps moving forward, the Cardinals may have more than just a placeholder discussion at third base. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Get A Crucial Return As Another Roster Squeeze Looms
JJ Wetherholt is expected to be back in the Cardinals lineup during the upcoming home stand after working his way through wrist tendinitis, a timely boost for a club still trying to steady itself below .500. The return matters beyond just getting another bat into the mix, because St. Louis has been scraping for answers while trying to keep its season from drifting further off course.
The catch, of course, is that the roster math does not get any easier when a player comes off the injured side of the ledger. The Cardinals will need to clear a spot to activate Wetherholt, and Ramn Uras is viewed as the most likely move if the club goes that route, adding another layer of uncertainty to a roster already being managed with the standings in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Tough Offseason Trade Debate Around Useful Pieces
The Cardinals spent the trade deadline reshaping parts of the roster, and the offseason may bring another round of hard conversations about useful pieces who could draw interest. Ivan Herrera, Andre Pallante and Riley OBrien all fit that category in different ways, with the club weighing performance, roster fit and long-term strategy as it looks for ways to keep improving without stripping away too much depth.
Herreras bat, Pallantes role on the pitching side and OBriens relief value each give St. Louis something worth protecting, but also something that could appeal to another team if the Cardinals decide to listen. None of that means a move is coming, only that this is the kind of winter where the front office has to decide whether holding onto familiar production matters more than turning it into a different need elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]