2026 Profile: St. Louis Cardinals

Pascal Harvey
2026 Profile: St. Louis Cardinals
Credit: MLB.com

The 2026 Major League Baseball season will begin shortly. At Passion MLB, as has been the case for years, we are setting the stage for the season by introducing the 30 teams of Major League Baseball.

Today, the Cardinals are on the menu.

2025 Season

The 2025 season marked the end of John Mozeliak's reign in St. Louis. The former big shot worked in Missouri for a long time, from 2007 to 2025. During that time, the Cardinals did well more often than not, but Mozeliak's final moments in charge of the team were rather difficult for the many fans who decided to attend fewer of their favorite team's home games.

Attendance averages have been declining at Busch Stadium, which is highly unusual in the heart of this baseball city.

Honestly, it was time for someone else to take the reins of the Midwest team, and it was Chaim Bloom who inherited the colossal task of making the Cardinals a winning team once again.

Last season, the Cards finished 19 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, playing at a .481 average. Their 78-84 record earned them second-to-last place in the National League Central Division. A poor showing for John Mozeliak's final term as president of baseball operations.

The team didn't really progress and drifted along for much of the season without demonstrating a clear identity.

The final moments of the season felt more like a smooth transition, with several members of the team expecting to move on to other opportunities and performances being mixed for all the reasons mentioned.

The Cardinals dragged their feet more often than not, and it's time to end their wilderness years and get back into the conversation within their division.

Additions and departures

There was a lot of movement during the offseason. Chaim Bloom, firmly in the saddle, began the work of rebuilding his team by trading big names such as Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan. Nolan Arenado also changed addresses and will continue his career in the Arizona desert. In return, Bloom acquired young players Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, Blake Aita, Richard Fitts, Brandon Clarke, Jack Martinez, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, and Colton Ledbetter. A great way to change the future of the club. One of Bloom's big decisions was to renew his confidence in manager Oliver Marmol for the next two seasons. Marmol now has a free hand and will work closely with team management to lead his squad to success. This comes as a surprise considering that Marmol was not originally hired by Bloom. Stability is the basis for this decision.

It should also be noted that Dustin May is the biggest addition.

The future of the Cardinals now lies in the hands of Masyn Winn, Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, JJ Wetherholt, Victor Scott II, Matthew Liberatore, and other young players who will aim to restore the prestige of a team that had a winning tradition for several seasons in the past.

Chaim Bloom's 12 tasks are well underway, but there is still work to be done, and young veterans such as Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson will play a very important role in ensuring a slow but promising transition.

Strengths and weaknesses

The Cardinals will not be playing under pressure in 2026, which is very good news.

The transition can take place without excessive expectations for the team. Knowing that the Cubs, Brewers, and Reds will be battling for the title in the Central Division, Oliver Marmol's men will try to play the wild card and surprise their opponents as often as they can.

The strength of this team lies in the fact that new leadership is taking hold within the lineup and that the president of baseball operations' confidence in his manager sends a clear signal that winning now is possible, but not a necessity.

If a player of Jordan Walker's caliber ends up blossoming and showing his full talent, the Cardinals' offense could very well do some damage at certain points in the season. Faced with a starting rotation that is almost completely under reconstruction, the Cardinals will have to score more runs if they want to do better than last season.

Fortunately for them, Burleson and Gorman are sure bets and, along with Masyn Winn, will become the new leaders of the group. These three players have the talent to lead an improved offense, while receiving support from players such as Herrera, Pagés, and Scott II.

Young JJ Wetherholt could be the surprise of spring training and earn himself a spot in St. Louis as early as the 2026 season. He will become an impact player in the Majors, and it's reasonable to believe that the club's management will give him the opportunity to showcase his talent in a less pressure-filled environment. In the short term, the team's starting pitchers will be their Achilles' heel. Young and talented, they will make mistakes that will cost the team wins, but the experience they gain in 2026 will be invaluable when the time comes. This rotation of Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, and Andre Pallante will be exciting to watch develop, but it will give Marmol headaches at times.

One thing is certain: the next generation will have a lot of work to do and will be called upon to save the day on several occasions early in the next season.

Expectations for the 2026 season

Expectations for the upcoming season will be to avoid finishing at the bottom of the division. The Pittsburgh Pirates have improved during the offseason and will be hungry to break out of a position that has been all too familiar for too long. The Cardinals have time to change the dynamic, and the fact that Chaim Bloom appears to be in full control is a good thing. The renewal of the team's agreement with Oliver Marmol is also reassuring, considering that he knows the players he has at his disposal well and is capable of developing their full potential.

Let's wait and see what surprises the new-look Cardinals have in store for us. The best is yet to come.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.

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