Baseball season is back, and for St. Louis, that means Cardinals baseball.
The past few seasons for the Cardinals have been disappointing to say the least. The Cardinals haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but with a new era and a full rebuild starting, fans are hoping the next playoff opportunity won’t be too far away.
This year’s team is significantly different from last year’s team, with the team committing to a rebuild. The Cardinals traded away key pieces like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan. With John Mozeliak gone and Chaim Bloom taking over as the new President of Baseball Operations for St. Louis, the Cardinals have taken a new approach to their roster. Bloom has already torn down the roster, gotten rid of older players, and built a farm system. All of these changes have led to the team’s farm system ranked #4 in the MLB, moving up 16 spots since the beginning of last season. This means the Cards have plenty of potential in the coming years.
Math teacher and former South varsity baseball coach Ryan Evers believes that hiring Bloom is a good way for St. Louis to start fresh.
“I think most people feel refreshed to hear a new voice and he’s off to a good start,” Evers said.
One problem for the Cardinals has been game attendance. St. Louis fans have a good reputation for being loyal and consistent at games, so this decline at Cardinals games has been alarming, and it’s been a problem they have been trying to solve. The last time the Cardinals eclipsed 3 million fans was 2023. This season had high expectations. With stars on the roster, this makes sense. But since that season didn’t go the way it was supposed to, attendance has been down significantly every year since. The Cardinals had a 18 year streak of 3 million fans, it finally ending in 2024 with 2.8 million.
The Cardinals have made several changes to deal with the lack of attendance. One way they’re trying to get fans in the seats is creating $29 “Coca-Cola Unlimited tickets that include unlimited access to hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, Coca-Cola products, and more. The Cardinals are hoping this will get people back into the stands, as this is a really good deal for the fans. This year will really test the true “fandom” of St. Louis baseball fans. Sure, we packed the stands every night when the Cards were perennial favorites to win the National League Central, but will we show up to watch a mediocre ball club?
Cardinal fans may be more inclined to show up and watch even a mediocre ball club due to there being a chance of a lockout. A league wide lockout is expected to happen in December of this year, due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expiring. Owners are expected to push for a salary cap and floor, while players will strongly oppose it. This will raise the possibility of the 2027 season being impacted due to the players and owners not being able to agree this winter.
The Cardinals have not been very successful since 2022, when Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado carried the team to a 93-69 record. Both finished in the top 3 in NL MVP, with Goldschmidt winning it. The past 3 Cardinal records haven’t surpassed 85 wins. In 2023, they barely won 70 games, finishing with a record of 71-91. The next year, they improved, going 83-79, and then last year, they went back down to 78-84.
The Cardinals had a busy offseason, selling off their top and older players, but they received solid young pieces such as Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Jurrangelo Cijnte, and signing Dustin May in free agency. The Cardinals have a very young lineup and rotation, with notable players such as Ivan Herrera, Matthew Liberatore, Masyn Winn, and top prospect JJ Whethorholt. A big part of whether the Cardinals will be competitive this season relies on former top prospect Jordan Walker to break out, Nolan Gorman to improve, and for JJ Whethorholt to make the impact that people expect, as he made the opening day roster.
Junior Cardinals fan Henry Kane is excited for a new young group to take over.
“I’m excited for the young guys to get some at bats and playing time. Hopefully, Walker and Whetherholt will be really good this year and show some progress. We should be pretty good within the next couple of years,” Kane said.
Jordan Walker, in just 16 games, has broken out, slashing .333/.394/.767 with a 1.161 OPS. He also already has 8 home runs, beating out 2024 and 2025 already. Walker is off to an extremely hot start and is known as one of the best hitters in baseball as of now. If Walker can maintain his hot bat and continue to be productive, this will be huge for the Cardinals and will make them much more competitive. Fans can only hope that this isn’t just a fluke stretch, but a legitimate breakout season for the 23 year old.
Junior Cardinals fan Andrew Heskett has high hopes for this young Cardinals roster.
“They have a lot of really young and fun players. I think they will be better than a lot of people think. A lot of people have us finishing at the bottom of the division, but I have a feeling we can finish above .500,” Heskett said.
Evers is optimistic about the Cardinals this season and believes they can get back to being a serious contender by next season.
“I think that next year they could be really good because they have a lot of young talent and are only a few pieces away from having a complete roster,” Evers said.
Watching Cardinals baseball on TV this year may also be difficult for many fans. The only way you can now watch your home team play is through the MLB.TV app, which is $99.99 a season, or through cable. Games can no longer be viewed on Bally Sports or Fox Sports. This change may cause problems for viewership. With attendance and viewership potentially being down, the Cardinals may lose money compared to previous years.
Overall, this roster is a very young lineup, but it is full of players ready to make an impact. It should be an exciting team to watch, as fans have been hoping for a restart and a rebuild. With an already top farm system, ownership is hoping the Cardinals can get back to winning and get back to the Cardinal way.
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