5 Cardinals who are most responsible for the club's demise in 2025

The St. Louis Cardinals have officially been knocked out of postseason contention after falling to the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 24. In their "runway" season, the Cardinals acquired some valuable information about several players, and despite their disappointing finish to the year, not all of the knowledge they gleaned was negative. The Cardinals had several players take steps forward this season and show that they can be a part of the team's core going forward.

However, plenty of other players failed to deliver what the Cardinals had hoped to see and have hastened the team's lurch toward a full rebuild.

These five players are the most responsible for the Cardinals' failures in 2025.

Andre Pallante

Andre Pallante pitched himself out of the bullpen and into the Cardinals' long-term rotation plans in 2024. Through nine relief appearances at the beginning of last season, Pallante struggled, having allowed seven earned runs in 10 innings. The Cardinals demoted him to Triple-A Memphis, where they agreed to let Pallante try his hand as a starter. Once he returned to St. Louis, the results weren't promising, as his longtime reverse splits reached ridiculous levels and right-handers shellacked him to the tune of a .302 average and a .558 slugging percentage in his first five games as a starter.

Pallante eventually found his groove, holding a 3.25 in his remaining 15 starts, and he showed himself to be the Cardinals' most reliable starter down the stretch. But as much as 2024 was a revelation for Pallante, 2025 saw him backslide in nearly every meaningful category.

Pallante's results in April were promising, as he owned a 4.05 ERA in his first five starts and held opponents to a .235 average, but he fell off soon after as hitters adjusted, scuffling to the tune of a 5.56 ERA and a .277 opposing average in his final 26 starts. No longer were hitters waiting out his knuckle-curve, which was the "death ball" that he had instituted prior to the season; hitters' chase rate on the pitch decreased from 33.5% in 2024 to 20.3% this year.

The Cardinals were hoping Pallante could solidify the rotation by continuing to elicit copious numbers of ground balls, and while he still owned an exceptional 60.2% ground ball rate, his home run per fly ball rate climbed from 9.6% last year to 17.6% in 2025. Much of his arsenal and many of his metrics remained similar to 2024, but he was unable to replicate that success.

It was a disappointing season for Pallante after the promise he displayed last year, and he may not be assured of a rotation spot in 2026, even as the Cardinals rebuild. After Pallante's mediocre season, his outlook is far from the rosy picture that 2024 seemed to paint.

Miles Mikolas

Entering the 2025 season, Miles Mikolas was a "hold your nose and hope he gives you five innings" pitcher. The right-hander was on the final year of an ill-fated contract extension that the Cardinals gave him in 2023 following an All-Star campaign the prior season. In 2023, Mikolas placed third in the National League in innings pitched, with 201.1, but the frames were often ugly, and he stumbled to a 4.78 ERA. That was a harbinger of things to come in 2024, as Mikolas was among the worst starters in the league, owning a 5.35 ERA and an ERA+ of 77.

Mikolas worked on a new approach for 2025. Instead of peppering the zone and rarely walking batters like in previous years (he ranked in the 98th percentile in walk rate in 2024), he attempted to avoid the zone more often. However, it didn't appear to have the desired results, as in addition to walking more batters (2.1 per nine innings, compared with 1.3 in 2024), he elicited a 25% chase rate, when it was 27.9% in 2024.

Despite those numbers, Mikolas had a better year overall in 2025 than he did in 2024, and that was mostly due to his performance at Busch Stadium. He owned a 3.42 ERA and a .234 opposing batting average in 15 starts at home, but he struggled to a 6.33 ERA and a .315 opposing average when away from St. Louis. At his lowest point, he surrendered six home runs in the first three innings against the Chicago Cubs.

Because the contract plays, Mikolas was entrenched in the rotation at the expense of 2021 first-round pick Michael McGreevy, who came up for a few spot starts but didn't become a full-fledged rotation piece until Erick Fedde was dealt at the trade deadline. On the local sports radio station 101 ESPN, Mikolas was asked about whether he felt bad about blocking the spot of a younger player, to which he said no, he did not.

Mikolas' directness has earned him both respect and criticism from Cardinals fans, and a few of his comments have made the rounds in local news circles, including one where he may have taken an indirect shot at Cardinals legend Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals likely didn't expect too much from Mikolas in 2025, but his guaranteed spot in the Cardinals' rotation impeded the progress of a younger starter and led to consistent losses on the road. When combined with his occasionally brash comments, it created a mixture that Cardinals fans will be glad not to have to swallow in 2026, assuming the Cardinals don't re-sign him.

Erick Fedde

When the Cardinals traded Tommy Edman to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal at the 2024 trade deadline, they thought Erick Fedde, their main return in the trade, would fill a hole in the rotation and potentially allow them to secure a spot in the postseason. Fedde had reinvented himself after winning the pitching Triple Crown in the KBO in 2023 and returning stateside to pitch for the Chicago White Sox in the first half of 2024. Although the Cardinals ultimately failed in their bid for the playoffs, Fedde served as a steady piece in their rotation after the acquisition, holding a 3.72 ERA in 55.2 innings and contributing as a solid No. 3 starter.

That all unraveled in 2025. After starting the season with an ERA of 3.86, capped off by a complete game shutout on May 9, Fedde fell off a cliff, posting a 6.38 ERA in his remaining 12 starts with the Cardinals, and the team designated him for assignment in late July after he held a 3-10 record and a 5.22 ERA in 2025 with the team. They then traded him to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Fedde's last five starts with the Cardinals were particularly dire, as he went five innings just once and allowed 26 earned runs in 17.2 innings while surrendering eight home runs over that span. Opponents' whiff rates on his sinker, sweeper and cutter all dipped significantly, and unsurprisingly, his strikeout rate plummeted from 20.5% in 2024 to only 14.1% in 2025, which was the largest decrease of any pitcher who threw at least 100 innings in both 2024 and 2025.

According to an article from FanGraphs, Fedde's arm angle changed slightly in 2025, which modified the shape of his pitches and led him to be smacked around. His cut fastball was especially ineffective: Opponents hit .322 and slugged .565 against the pitch during Fedde's Cardinals tenure this year.

The disastrous performance of the rotation in July led the Cardinals to keep upstart prospect Michael McGreevy in their staff and consider going to a six-man rotation, but the front office nixed that idea when they designated Fedde for assignment.

Fedde's meltdown caused the Cardinals to spiral out of serious postseason consideration as the trade deadline neared, and his issues were a major reason for the Cardinals' decision to punt on the season and sell their assets while unloading Fedde for almost nothing. Had the Cardinals pulled the plug on Fedde earlier instead of holding on to their belief that he would figure things out, it's worth wondering if they'd be in a playoff position as the season nears the end.

Nolan Arenado

The moment the 2024-2025 offseason began, the trade chatter about Nolan Arenado emerged in full force. The Cardinals had approached Arenado about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause as the team prepared to embark on a "retool" and had a deal in place to send Arenado to the Houston Astros in December. However, Arenado spurned the deal, and he remained in St. Louis for 2025.

Arenado had performed respectably in 2024: He held a .272 average and a .719 OPS, but his power dissipated, as he hit 16 home runs, 10 fewer than in 2023. Still, he seemed to be a piece who could help a competing team get over the top, even if he wasn't able carry the team the way he could in his prime.

Early in 2025, the Cardinals took off, and Arenado exuded what seemed to be reborn passion for the team, saying there were "different vibes" around the club this season. Unfortunately, as fans are fully aware, the good times didn't last, and Arenado's performance was a large part of the Cardinals' skid.

Despite still playing some dazzling defense, Arenado's season at the plate has been his worst by nearly every stat. He's hitting just .236 with 11 home runs, and his OPS is only .660. Arenado placed much of the blame on injuries, citing a finger injury and later a shoulder strain that placed him on the injured list. He said that had he been able to do it over, he would not have played through the finger malady that appeared to cut his power output.

Arenado's lackluster performance this season prevented the Cardinals from unloading him at the trade deadline. The Boston Red Sox were reportedly a strong candidate to land him, but they decided to acquire Alex Bregman instead. The Astros were also once again in play despite Arenado's initial refusal of a trade there. According to Bob Nightengale, Arenado had changed his tune and was willing to head to Houston at the deadline, but the Astros chose to reunite with Carlos Correa instead.

It seems like a foregone conclusion that Arenado has played his final games in St. Louis, and in the event of a trade, the Cardinals will likely be forced to eat a considerable portion of the contract they've taken on, which runs through 2028. Had Arenado shown any semblance of the player he used to be, the Cardinals may have found themselves in serious playoff conversation. Instead, it appears the Arenado era in St. Louis will end with a whimper.

Jordan Walker

When it came to lists of the most important Cardinals in 2025, Jordan Walker was routinely at the top. After a year where he failed to live up to expectations, he was the face of the Cardinals' "runway" season in 2025, where the team would supposedly give him as many opportunities as possible to find his footing. Prior to the season, Walker gushed about the Cardinals' new hitting coach, Brant Brown, saying that Brown had already been teaching Walker things that he had never heard before. The outlook seemed promising for the right fielder.

Instead, Walker collapsed, holding a .217 average and a .581 OPS, and he has struck out 122 times in 350 at-bats. The slider low and away has consistently flummoxed him, as he's struggled to lay off of the pitch. In 2025, Walker holds a 33.9% chase rate, with the MLB average at 28.4%.

Walker looked to have turned a corner in July and early August after returning from appendicitis on July 18. From that day to Aug. 10, Walker hit .315, although with only five walks in 78 plate appearances and a .415 BABIP, there were plenty of signs that his hot streak wouldn't last. Indeed, from Aug. 11 to Sept. 23, Walker hit an abysmal .158 with an OPS of .459.

The Cardinals did Walker no favors in 2024 by shuttling him back and forth between St. Louis and Triple-A Memphis and saying that he needed to work on hitting the ball in the air more often, but much of the blame looks to lie with Walker as well. Brant Brown and manager Oli Marmol have commented pointedly on Walker's need to improve in his preparation and his approach during games,

For the most part, the Cardinals stuck with their plans to play Walker through thick and thin, but he failed to reward their commitment. With Walker's trade value at a low point, expect him to remain with the team in 2026, but don't be surprised if he finds himself spending more time in Memphis as he works on his game prep and tries to get his swing right.

Walker's bat speed and exit velocities continue to tantalize the Cardinals, but even at the tender age of 23, he may be running out of time in the organization. One reason for the runway season was to provide intel on the young players so incoming president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom could make informed decisions on whom to keep long term and which players to cut bait with as the Cardinals head toward a rebuild, and Walker's problems indicate that the team is likely farther away from contending than the front office had expected coming into 2025.