In order to rebuild, first you need to tear down, and Chaim Bloom has that process well underway in his first offseason atop the St. Louis Cardinals front office. Bloom entered the winter dead set on shedding dead weight and turning aging and expensive vets into future value. At this point, that process is just about complete: After sending Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox earlier in the offseason, he finally found a new home for Nolan Arenado this week in the Arizona Diamondbacks. That's a whole lot of money off of the books moving forward, and now St. Louis can begin to start building what comes next.
Well, almost. While Gray, Contreras and Arenado were the biggest dominos to fall, there are still some veteran pieces on the Cardinals roster that Bloom could look to flip for future value. And if he pulls it off, this team could be back in contention sooner than most think.
2B/OF Brendan Donovan
Contract status: Under team control through 2027
Potential landing spots: San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners
A Donovan deal feels much more like a "when" than an "if". He was arguably the Cardinals' best position player last season, slashing .287/.353/.422 while playing solid defense at three different positions, and he'd be a fit for any number of contenders — but not for St. Louis, which probably won't be ready to contend again by the time he hits free agency.
The only question now is where he'll ultimately end up, and what Bloom might be able to get in return. Would-be contenders like the Mariners and Giants would both seriously use an infield upgrade, and teams like the New York Yankees and Houston Astros shouldn't be ruled out just yet either. Donovan is the best trade asset remaining in St. Louis, and the Cardinals can't afford to whiff here.
LHP JoJo Romero
Contract status: Under team control through 2026
Potential landing spots: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox
Romero is in a similar boat; rebuilding teams don't figure to have much use for relievers who are one season away from free agency, and while the Cardinals could wait until the trade deadline to explore a deal, that's a risky proposition given how volatile relief arms tend to be year-over-year. Romero is coming off a career season, posting a 2.07 ERA across 61 innings in 2025, and he's the clear top lefty available this winter. Don't expect a haul here, but St. Louis should absolutely get something of value in return for a player who won't be a part of its future plans — and who's a couple of bad outings away from torching his trade market.
OF Lars Nootbaar
Contract status: Under team control through 2027
Potential landing spots: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Houston Astros
Now we're in more speculative territory. Nootbaar has long a trendy breakout pick, an exciting young outfielder with plenty of tools. But that breakout still hasn't arrived, and the Cardinals would be selling relatively low after he posted a 95 OPS+ last season. With two years of team control remaining, holding onto him and hoping for a bounce-back season might be the wisest course of action.
Then again, you also run the risk of waiting too long; two years of a player is worth a whole lot more than one, and St. Louis might not be able to ask for nearly as much next winter when he's a free agent-to-be. Nootbaar has yet to put it all together on the field just yet, but teams are well aware of his rare combination of contact quality and plate discipline, and it's not out of the question that someone pays up in order to be a year early rather than a year late.
INF Nolan Gorman
Contract status: Under team control through 2028
Potential landing spots: Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies
It might just be time to get off the Gorman bandwagon. A former first-round pick and top prospect in the Cardinals org, he showed plenty of promise at the plate across his first two MLB seasons. But he's done nothing but regress since, posting an 88 OPS+ over the last two years while looking unplayable pretty much anywhere on the infield.
St. Louis surely doesn't love the idea of selling low on a homegrown hitter. But Gorman is about to hit arbitration for the first time, and he simply hasn't shown enough to merit regular playing time. The power is very, very real, and if he can ever cut down on the swing and miss, he could still turn into something. At this point, though, it's worth letting another rebuilding team with a hole at first base and a need for more pop buy the lottery ticket. Getting something is better than nothing.