How do you weigh the cost of opportunity when it comes to a long-term build? When I talk to Cardinals personnel, the consistent theme remains “long-term focus.” What exactly does that mean for players who continue to accrue service time but are not quite to the point where they are rental assets? We know that Chaim Bloom said in his introductory press conference as President of Baseball Operations that they are long-term focused but arent willing to concede anything.
Bloom has been true to his word in that regard. This offseason, he has traded away veteran players Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado, committing to a long-term vision for the future of the franchise. He has also remained steadfast on his high price tag for All-Star Utility player Brendan Donovan, who still has 1 more season of control remaining beyond 2026, and has not conceded on his price tag, knowing the value of the player. As evidenced by other moves this offseason, the Cardinals will execute deals when a team meets their price tag. The fact that Donovan remains indicates a team has not met the Cardinals’ ask.
That being said, Bloom still has not indicated a timetable for when he expects the team to return to contention, and for obvious reasons, pending labor strife, a potential shift in the economic landscape, and uncertainty around revenue from RSN and/or Gate sales. There are quite a few question marks that need to be answered before he has a clear picture of how soon he might push in. This does, however, leave room for unintended consequences, such as when the right time might be to sell other controllable assets as they grow closer to their expiration as well?
SPAndre Pallante
Let’s start with Andre Pallante. Last season did not go particularly well for Andre, and he detailed for us at Winter Warm Up what happened last year. According to Pallante, after the 2024 season, he was experiencing a lot of fatigue and said he took a longer rest period than normal to allow his body to heal fully going into 2025. Because of that longer rest period, it took him longer to ramp up his velocity, which was a consistent talking point surrounding him in Spring Training, if you recall, which he didn’t reach until the start of the season. After which, his mechanics were not properly calibrated for the additional arm speed that was being generated, which led to his ineffectiveness with command. Pallante also touted that he’s been developing a “kick change” this offseason, which could allow for another weapon to neutralize hitters on a day he may not have a feel for release on one of his other offerings. In 2024, Pallante posted a 3.78 ERA and a 3.71 FIP in 121.1 IP, which are solid marks for any starter in the Major Leagues. Should Pallante bounce back and perform the way he did in 2024, given the depth of near MLB-ready arms the Cardinals now possess, perhaps the Cardinals look to sell high before he gets too expensive. Mid-rotation starters with control generally bring back a strong package of prospects, and for only 4 million dollars this season, the justification for the investment on the bounce back is more than digestible.
SPMatthew Liberatore
This one specifically, I know fans are going to have mixed opinions on. Not exactly comparable, but looking at what Mackenzie Gore was able to get the Nationals in return, teams will send high upside young talent for controllable lefty starters with upside. With 3 additional seasons of control remaining beyond 2026, it would take a hefty price tag to pry Liberatore away from St. Louis, but, given the theme of this article, the opportunity to acquire premium young talent that the team can continue to add to build around might be too good to pass up if the offers are there. Through July 1st of last season, Liberatore posted a 3.70 ERA and a 3.09 FIP in 92.1 IP in his first full season in the rotation. The key will be to see if he can repeat that success and perhaps put two full halves together. I wouldn’t necessarily expect Liberatore to be a deadline target, but going into the offseason, if he can put it all together, I can see the Cardinals getting a very strong return and one that could really kick the rebuild into a higher gear.
RPRiley O’Brien
This one is a little more unique as O’Brien is already 31 years old, and is, albeit a late bloomer, a guy with loud swing and miss stuff in his profile that could help a contender close down games in the hunt for October supremacy. As a pre-arb pitcher, the time to strike could be at the deadline when teams are notorious for overpaying for relievers as they push for the postseason. After the trade deadline in 2025, Riley O’Brien stepped into a prominent leverage role for the Cardinals down the stretch and posted a 2.57 ERA, 3.61 FIP, and recorded 6 saves in 21 IP. If he can carry that level of performance through the first half of the 2026 season or even a tick better, you can rest assured that half the league or more will come calling about O’Brien, and Chaim Bloom could be in a strong position to take advantage of a reliever-crazed market.
1BAlec Burleson
I have been steadfast since the end of the 2025 season. Alec Burleson positioned himself to be one of the players the Cardinals feel they have to build around. Oli Marmol and Chaim Bloom both have spoken publicly that he was one of the few players who truly took advantage of the “runway” (shutter) season. With that being said, as Burly enters his age 28 season and his physical prime, if he repeats or takes yet another step forward, can secure more hardware, or even an All-Star selection, it will make him hard to ignore as a potential trade chip. Slashing .290/.343/.459 ->.802 OPS with a .346 wOBA and a 124 wRC+, Burleson made himself one of the better hitters in baseball last season and, again, if he maintains or even takes a small step forward with one fewer season of control remaining, that will be a commodity teams will have interest in as he’d have the same amount of control remaining as Donovan does now, next offseason.
2B/3BNolan Gorman
2025 was a microcosm of the Nolan Gorman experience. High highs and extreme lows. Using the metric wRC+, where 100 is exactly league average, anything above is better, anything below is worse. By Month, Gorman’s wRC+ was: March/April – 76, May – 45, June – 142, July – 110, August – 105, September – 24! That is neither a reliable driver of offense nor a player who is already entering his salary arbitration years, someone you build around long-term. This situation feels like the Cardinals are banking on Gorman having one semi-breakout season so they can maximize a return. At this point, the volatility in Gorman’s profile, combined with 2 seasons of control remaining, could be something that Bloom looks to sell high on the soon-to-be 26-year-old former 1st rounder if he can eliminate some of the extreme lows in his profile in 2026.
C/DH Ivan Herrera
Let me be clear, I would hate this, but IF Herrera can successfully regain his status as an everyday catcher with all of the work he is putting in this offseason, and he can continue to hit at the rate he has, he would be a WILDLY valuable trade piece that could truly alter/expedite the rebuild in St. Louis. With the presence of Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, and Rainiel Rodriguez, the Cardinals have some very impressive young catchers behind Herrera in their own right. Crooks – former Texas league MVP, Bernal – 2025 Minor league Gold Glove award winner at Catcher and switch hitter with 20+ HR potential, Rodriguez – posted an ISO of .249 in Single A, and loosely compares to Herrera, and is a near consensus top 50 prospect in baseball. If the Cardinals were hesitant to pay for the level of talent that that perspective profile would command, I could see the Cardinals willing to deal the soon to be 26 year old Herrera for a king’s ransom.
I debated adding RF Jordan Walker to this list, but with him being still only 23 years old and so much pedigree and prospect hype around him in the recent past that if he hits, he will be made a part of the core going forward more than the 6 other players listed above.
I’m not saying these players are overly likely to be moved, nor am I suggesting that the Cardinals are all that eager to move them. What I am suggesting, however, is that because we have no real timetable as to when the Cardinals expect to be in a competitive championship window, there is no clear answer on where the line is in terms of players with control and how far out that extends. If Chaim Bloom intends to be aggressive with how he attacks this build and doesn’t believe in patience in doing so, then the Cardinals do have a few chips they can play to try to expedite this process and try to have a majority of their players in the same age range/years of control.
We’re still very early in this process, and how things unfold over the next 18 months should give a clearer idea as to what the timetable may look like going forward. I understand this will likely aggravate a few fans, but that is not my goal or intention. I am not someone who swims in the “hot take” waters. For context, it is something that a few other writers in the community are starting to wonder about alongside me. Perhaps I should just hope that everyone stays healthy and has fun, who knows! (eye roll)
-Thanks for reading
