The final stretch of the 2026 season is here, and the Cardinals are already looking past the standings. St.
Louis sits 6 1/2 games back of a Wild Card spot with 15 games left, so the postseason is effectively out of reach. Even so, the club can still finish on a better note - maybe even climb back to .500 - after entering this stage at 72-75.
That broader picture matters because this has been a productive first year for Chaim Bloom as president of baseball operations. The Cardinals have found real building blocks in Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson, while Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have taken meaningful steps forward. On top of that, the organization has strengthened its farm system by moving veterans who didn’t fit the long-term plan.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next. St.
Louis needs pitching help, especially in the bullpen, and could also use a veteran starter near the top of the rotation. Third base remains unresolved, too.
The season has shown progress, but it has also made clear that more change is coming.
With the regular season ending Sep. 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers, these final two weeks may be the last in St. Louis for several veterans.
Ryan Stanek looks like the most straightforward case. He has posted a 4.42 ERA across 64 appearances and carries a $6 million club option for 2027. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has already pointed out that Stanek’s option is among those unlikely to be exercised this offseason, and with the Cardinals headed toward a bullpen overhaul, he appears headed for the exit.
Nolan Gorman is another name worth watching. He looked like a breakout bat in 2023, but he hasn’t come close to matching that level since.
After being sent to Triple-A earlier this year, he forced his way back up in late August. Since returning, though, the results haven’t followed: he has hit .156/.191/.333 with a .525 OPS, two homers and six RBIs in 14 games.
A change of scenery feels likely this offseason.
Then there’s José Urías, the former Gold Glove winner who arrived in St. Louis this past offseason.
He’s on a mutual option for 2027, and those deals rarely get picked up. The production hasn’t helped his case either, with Urías batting .157 in 38 games.
In Other News...
Cardinals Trade Return Is Already Complicating Their 2027 Plans
The Cardinals deadline sell-off in 2026 was supposed to help clear a path toward the future, and in one sense it has. St. Louis moved Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero and Dustin May, bringing back a prospect package that included Alexander Frias, Josiah Ragsdale and Daniel Eagen, a return that was built for a club already drifting behind in the standings and thinking more about the next core than the current race.
What makes the deal more interesting now is how quickly those new names have started to matter. Ragsdale and Frias have both performed well in the minors, giving the Cardinals something tangible to point to as they sit 72-75 and 6 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot. The problem, at least from a long-range planning standpoint, is that the trade is already nudging the organization into tougher questions about how soon those pieces might fit, and which parts of the roster will still be waiting when 2027 arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Bullpen Reset Could Start With One Veteran Arm
The Cardinals are already looking ahead to a bullpen overhaul, and Ryne Stanek has emerged as one of the first names worth watching in that process. The veteran right-hander has been a steady presence in a busy relief role this season, appearing in 64 games while posting a 4.42 ERA and a 60-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but St. Louis still has reason to search for more reliable late-inning help after a year in which the bullpen has lagged near the bottom of the league.
One important piece of that conversation is Staneks contract situation. ESPNs Jeff Passan reported that his club option for the 2027 season is unlikely to be picked up, a detail that adds another layer to what already figures to be an active offseason for the Cardinals. With bullpen changes expected as the organization tries to raise the units ceiling next year, Stanek looks like the kind of arm whose future could say a lot about how aggressive St. Louis plans to be. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Will Love What 1 Former World Series Foe Admitted
For Cardinals fans, Adrian Beltres Hall of Fame career still carries one unmistakable St. Louis chapter, and he did not shy away from how it ended. In a recent interview, the former Rangers third baseman said losing Game 6 of the 2011 World Series to the Cardinals was the worst moment of his career, calling it the most painful stretch he ever experienced.
Beltre was one of Texas biggest engines during that postseason run, which only makes the honesty sting a little more for Rangers supporters and land even sweeter in St. Louis. He also acknowledged that mistakes were made by both him and the coaching staff, a reminder that the Cardinals comeback in that series still lingers as one of the defining turns in recent World Series history. [Read more 🡒]