THE St. Louis Cardinals are finally ready to kiss the tank. Or, uh, the patient rebuilds. Any way you want to frame it, the 2025 campaign is shaping up to be terribly bleak for diehard Cards fans. Baseball is eternally unpredictable, but it’s been a long time since St. Louis last put together two mediocre seasons like this. Something has to change, and that might mean a more patient, less costly approach to revamping a broken roster.

The winds of change have been blowing in Saint-Louis for a while. John Mozeliak begins his final campaign as team president. St. Louis has not yet stripped him of power, but Mozeliak is indeed a lame duck. They even have his replacement alignedaccording to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, with Chaim Bloom set to take over Mozeliak’s job in 2026.

In the meantime, Bloom will oversee St. Louis’ player development program, fixing a farm system that desperately needs Bloom’s special touch. Say what you will about Bloom’s tumultuous tenure as Boston Red Sox GM, but his front office history is defined by excellent management of minor league programs. Bloom knows how to build a durable pipeline of young talent, something the Cardinals have been lacking of late.

This is the direction St. Louis is heading: investing resources into the farm system and resetting the MLB team. We can therefore expect a quiet offseason.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work at The Baseball Insiders Podcastsubscribe to The moonshotour weekly MLB newsletter, and join the Discord for exclusive information leading up to the MLB offseason.

In describing what lies ahead for the Cardinals, John Denton of MLB.com I didn’t mince my words what to expect this offseason.

“When it comes to free agency and the proverbial Hot Stove, it’s going to be a long, cold winter in St. Louis. Come back to this time next year when the Cards may be ready to return to the agent pool free.”

Phew. Most of the time, these statements are accompanied by hedging or qualifiers. But not this one. The Cardinals aren’t going to operate with any aggression when it comes to free agency, from the looks of it. That’s probably the right approach – focusing more on building from within and establishing a solid foundation – but it won’t necessarily appease an anxious fan base.

St. Louis has been one of the most successful MLB teams over the past few decades. We almost never go more than a year without seeing the Cardinals in October. For St. Louis to essentially admit defeat on the current roster and commit to a third straight year of mediocrity – that’s not John Mozeliak’s playbook. This smells strongly of Chaim Bloom and foreshadows what is to come in St. Louis.

But it’s good. Mediocrity with a plan is better than accidental mediocrity.

What will be fascinating is how St. Louis approaches the trade front. Is Sonny Gray still with the Cardinals next season? How committed is St. Louis to Nolan Arenado with Paul Goldschmidt at midpoint? Mozeliak and Bloom are looking to the future, which means any expiring contract or veteran veteran is more or less up for grabs. It may be a long and cold winter in St. Louis, but that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing will happen. This just won’t please the fans.