St. Louis Cardinals: A rebuild would be tough to pull off

A St. Louis Cardinals rebuild would be a big undertaking, and the team might have lost its best chance to execute it. Where do they go from here?

“Rebuild” seems to be a forbidden word in Cardinal Nation; indeed, many fans weren’t alive the last time the St. Louis Cardinals had to tear down their roster. The Cardinals showed they had no intention of tanking when they inked Paul Goldschmidt to a massive contract. But with the Cardinals’ subpar play throughout the first half of the season, it raises questions about if the Goldschmidt signing has destined the team to continue treading water.

Goldschmidt signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Cardinals, and his performance has been disappointing. While he has shown flashes of his old form, especially early in the season, he has struggled for most of the year, at least by his lofty standards.

Because of Goldschmidt’s hefty contract, he is unlikely to be traded anytime soon, and this could be a large obstacle if he continues to struggle. He could end up eating up the team’s payroll and serving as a roadblock to a successful rebuild. The Cardinals could have painted themselves into a corner with this signing.

This points to the crux of the issue: Did the Cardinals wait too long on a rebuild?

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When one looks at a rebuild, they should first look at the team’s farm system. The Cardinals’ farm system isn’t special, but it is solid. However, one of the prized prospects, Alex Reyes, has lost nearly all of his luster after continued injuries, and former first-rounders Delvin Perez and Nick Plummer haven’t panned out.

Next, look at the team’s current roster. The Cardinals’ pitching has taken a huge step back this year. Miles Mikolas was outstanding in 2018, and Jack Flaherty looked like an ace in the making. Neither player has been able to replicate his success. Hindsight is always 20/20, but one can wonder whom the Cardinals could have received in return for either of them.

The core is aging; Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter don’t seem to have too much longer to go before their careers wrap up. Carpenter is the youngest of the bunch, but if he can’t learn to beat the shift, his career could be in jeopardy.

So what players do the Cardinals have on the active roster who could net a good haul? The answer is: not many. Paul DeJong is a possibility, but he is still young and could be a player the team keeps in the long run. Jose Martinez can hit better than almost anyone when he’s hot, but he is a liability in the field. An American League team could come calling for his services.

A team looking for defense could consider Kolten Wong, but his performance at the plate will keep him from netting upper-echelon players. The same can be said for Harrison Bader. Jordan Hicks was a flamethrowing stud before his injury, but nobody knows what he will be like when he returns.

Another question is if the fans will accept a few years of losing. The Cardinals have routinely been among the best in baseball in fan attendance, but Cardinals fans are notoriously fickle: They have come to expect success, and even a .500 season is deemed a colossal flop. Will fans continue to be loyal to their team, or will the Cardinals see a precipitous drop in fans and subsequent income?

The Cardinals’ window of contention is closing, and the team knows it. Goldschmidt’s signing was supposed to prop it open a little longer, but if his regression is real, the Cardinals could find themselves in the Los Angeles Angels’ shoes with Albert Pujols. The team’s continued insistence to win is admirable, but there comes a point when it just isn’t feasible anymore.

If the team had decided to cut bait with some of its players last year and begin anew, it would be a painful step, but there would definitely be bright spots on the horizon. But now the sun has set a little deeper, and as fans begin to count the years until they’re free of Goldschmidt, if one listens closely, they might just hear Luke Voit laughing in the distance.