John Mozeliak made it clear after the 2024 season that the St. Louis Cardinals were retooling. Instead of going all-in on trying to win the World Series in 2025, they'd prioritize developing players who might stick around for the long haul. Well, after a rocky start, the Cardinals have now won eight in a row to improve to 22-19 on the year. The Cardinals hovering around postseason contention could end up hurting their rebuilding efforts.
The Cardinals look as good right now as they have in years. Their pitching has been excellent, and their bats are starting to heat up. If they continue to play like this when their schedule gets tougher, they absolutely can hover around postseason contention.
While winning games is never a bad thing, it would impact St. Louis' rebuilding efforts which haven't even gotten off the ground, really.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
Cardinals rebuild might be over before it even begins
The Cardinals hoped to trade Nolan Arenado, but for reasons mostly out of their control, a deal never materialized. Not only did they hold onto Arenado, but they held onto other veterans like Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde as well. While good players, these guys are taking roster spots from younger players who could contribute in the future.
If the Cardinals continue to win games, veterans will continue to play regularly for the team, and who knows, John Mozeliak might even make a trade or two to add veteran talent to the team. Playing time might also be hard to come by for younger players currently on their active roster.
Jordan Walker is a former top prospect slashing .186/.260/.254 this season. Rebuilding teams might look to keep him in the lineup regularly, hoping he can get going at the MLB level. The Cardinals, however, have slowly begun phasing him out of their lineup. He has started only five times during this eight-game winning streak and has gone 1-for-16 in those games. The more he struggles, the more he figures to continue to sit. Nolan Gorman is another example of a younger player who has promise but has struggled mightily this season. He has started only four times during this winning streak and has gone 2-for-12 at the dish. Can the Cardinals justify playing him if they're trying to win?
The Cardinals competing for a postseason berth would be a fun surprise, but if we're being honest, does anyone think this team is good enough to get in and go on a deep run? That's a really hard sell in a loaded National League. Is it worth potentially hovering around the NL postseason race instead of going all-in on what could be a short-term rebuild if executed correctly? That's a predicament Mozeliak and Co. will have to deal with if the Cardinals continue to win ballgames.