Cardinals Opening Day roster, doomsday edition: 1 mistake Mozeliak can't afford to make

John Mozeliak has not made the most of his final season as president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals. In fact, he's been quite a disappointment for a fanbase hoping for a big offseason after missing the playoffs for the second straight year in 2024.

Mozeliak led fans to believe they would see a different version of the Cardinals in 2025. The team would undergo a "reset" to cut some payroll and make desperately needed changes to its player development system. The team bid farewell to veterans like Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, Lance Lynn, or Kyle Gibson, but despite all that big talk, no major trades or Major League free-agent signings materialized.

At this point, the fan base is pretty uninspired for what the team does in 2025. But there's a whole season still left to be played, and how Mozeliak chooses to navigate spring training will have ramifications on the direction St. Louis heads in the future.

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Cardinals roster mistakes to avoid further disappointment

Mozeliak wasn't shy this winter about putting massive emphasis on finding a trade for Nolan Arenado. It was the story of the offseason in St. Louis, with many predictions on where the All-Star and Gold-Glove-winning third baseman would go. But with a full no-trade clause and some $64 million left on his current contract, a deal proved difficult, especially after Arenado shot down a potential move to the Houston Astros.

In recent days, Arenado arrived at Cardinals spring training ready to play. Mozeliak said Arenado will likely remain with the team for Opening Day and beyond, but the question remains how long he and the team will remain in an uncomfortable situation and whether a trade will materialize at some point before the season starts.

Here's hoping Mozeliak doesn't make a trade to appease fans desperate to see the team do something this offseason. Arenado's teammates, and manager Oli Marmol, were happy to see him in camp. It's hard to imagine Mozeliak finding a decent deal to move Arenado now, from either a prospect or financial perspective.Why make a move that could destroy anything the Cardinals could do in 2025 just to see a move made? This isn't a video game!

Moving pieces like Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, or Erick Fedde would be intriguing. However, moving one or more of the trio would likely be better once the season starts and a team needs a veteran arm. This could be a similar option the team could have with a glut in the outfield.

Cardinals Opening Day roster projection

Let's take a look at the probable Cardinals' Opening Day roster.

Pitchers

Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Miles Mikolas, Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Ryan Fernandez, Matthew Liberatore, John King, Steven Matz, Nick Anderson, Chris Roycroft

Catchers

Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages

Infielders

Willson Contreras, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, Nolan Arenado, Luken Baker, Thomas Saggese

Outfielders

Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Michael Siani, and Jordan Walker

Cardinals Opening Day lineup and starting rotation projection

The Cardinals will not have a set everyday line up, but instead opt to mix and match in much the same way as they have in recent seasons. With so much young talent that the organization wants to evaluate and lots of defensive versatility on the roster, they will likely build a lineup based on whomever is pitching for the Cardinals and the opponent.

The likely Opening Day lineup should look something like this:

Here's a look at the Cardinals starting rotation for 2025.

Long relief options from the bullpen include Liberatore and Matz, while a slew of new faces will try and make up for the high-leverage innings Andrew Kittredge is leaving behind. After a successful 2024 campaign in which he earned 49 saves for the Cardinals, Ryan Helsley will be the closer again, although his future remains in doubt as he enters his contract year.

Hopefully the Cardinals will outperform some dismal expectations from fans across the Internet.