3 St. Louis Cardinals who won't be back after the Winter Meetings and why

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tough spot. They have all the reason in the world to enter a full-scale rebuild, yet their front office has hesitated in doing this for the past few years. Now, they're loaded with veterans who are earning way more money than they probably deserve. But, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has a chance to right some of his wrongs during his last season in his current position.

The beginning of the expected rebuild has already started. St. Louis will make a few more moves over the next few weeks to continue their roster reshuffle. In fact, after winter meetings, there's a handful of players who are watching their time in St. Louis come to an end.

Which players won't be back in St. Louis after the winter meetings and why?

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3. RHP Miles Mikolas

The St. Louis Cardinals made the same mistake multiple times over. They would routinely sign a veteran pitcher who produces average results to a contract worth well over $15 million per year. St. Louis made this mistake with just about every pitcher in their starting rotation despite having some incredibly talented arms in the minor leagues. With the veterans plugging spots at the big-league level, talented prospects have been stuck in the minor leagues.

This idea can be seen very clearly with the veteran starter Miles Mikolas who will earn $18.5 million in 2025. Mikolas is 36 years old and well past his prime.

Last season, the veteran righty tossed 171.2 innings across 32 starts. He was worth negative WAR due to his 5.35 ERA and 11 losses. Mikolas has been handed double-digit losses in four of his six seasons with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals could and should find a way to dump him off. Even if this means eating a portion of his contract. St. Louis would be better off with an extra roster spot to use on a young arm rather than letting Mikolas continue to plug a hole in their starting rotation.

2. RHP Ryan Helsley

Out of all the players that have been pitched to be trade candidates this winter, it's Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley that jumps off the page at you. Helsley would draw interest from all 29 teams in the league as bringing in a star closer like him is almost invaluable for big league teams.

Last season, we saw Tanner Scott and Carlos Estevez traded for huge prospect hauls. Helsley is arguably much better than these two arms while also having an additional half-season on his contract compared to the other two closers. Helsley should net the Cardinals more than the Los Angeles Angels got for Estevez, but probably a little less than what the San Diego Padres got for Scott.

Helsley, 30, has posted ERAs of 2.04, 2.45 and 1.25 over the last three seasons respectively. He appeared in a career-high 65 games while recording a career-high 49 saves in 2024. There are few, if any, relievers in the National League that are more dominant than Helsley.

For the Cardinals, it would make sense to move him. His value will do nothing but decrease from this point on. St. Louis doesn't have a plan to win and compete for a World Series while Helsley is in a Cardinals uniform, so they would be better off stockpiling prospects for him while they have the chance.

1. RHP Sonny Gray

If there is one player that's consistently found himself mixed up in St. Louis' trade rumors, it's their starting pitcher Sonny Gray, whom they inked to a massive contract when they brought him to the team. Now, Gray is on the back end of his career and the Cardinals have no clear path to winning while he's under contract, so keeping him until his contract runs up just doesn't make sense for the Cardinals or Gray.

Gray, 35, is still very much a usable starting pitcher. At best, he's an incredible number two in a top-end rotation. At worst, he's a middle-of-the-pack guy. His career ERA sits below 4.00 and it reflects his performance as of late too. Gray posted a 3.84 ERA in his first year with the Cardinals, but it could very well be his last.

The veteran righty has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could only be moved if he approved the deal. Obviously, this toughens the market quite a bit, but it's still an absolute no-brainer that the Cardinals find a team to take him.

Trading him would do three things for the Cardinals. It would clear money off their books. It would bring prospects in. And it would clear the way for a top prospect like Tink Hence to slot into the big league rotation.