5 things Cardinals fans should know going into GM meetings in San Antonio

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The vibes for the St. Louis Cardinals will be significantly different than in years past. The Cardinals have emphasized bolstering their player development system, creating a need for payroll cuts that may be painful for some fans.

Executive Chaim Bloom and new assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio will join Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak in San Antonio. Bloom and Cerfolio have been working to hire a new farm director and director of performance. Once these two hires are in place, coordinators will be employed to fill various positions within the system, bolstering a farm system that was once the best in Major League Baseball.

After the departure of Albert Pujols in 2012 and the death of Oscar Tavares in 2014, the Cardinals struggled to find a top-tier, once-in-a-lifetime player to develop within the system. While attempting to develop talent internally, the Cardinals emphasized finding free agents to come into the system to build around. Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado were all brought in and found some personal success, but the club didn't see the championship successes they once had.

Now, the organization is going back to the drawing board. It promises to bring a youth movement. Veteran players and leadership are greatly needed, though. While the Cardinals have some exciting players coming up, veterans like Gray, Arenado, and Contreras help. The Cardinals' fan base is upset after two consecutive seasons of subpar baseball. Trading away players and not replacing them with players of equal stature would irk this fan base that struggled to fill the stands at some points of the 2024 season. While this may be obvious to most, Mozelaik's tone doesn't reflect his knowledge.

As we gain a clearer perspective on Bloom and Cerfolio's plans and the organization's path to a television deal, it will be easier to gauge what to expect from the Cardinals this offseason.

Until then, the question remains - Do fans have something to look forward to in 2025?

Here are five things we know to watch for the organization at the GM meetings.

5. Some payroll cuts have already been made

The Cardinals declined options for Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Kenyan Middleton for the 2025 season, opting to pay each of them the $1 million buyout. The three will become free agents, along with Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Kittredge, and Matt Carpenter.

This removes $50 million from payroll. This is quite significant, and returning to the club hasn't been ruled out entirely from the list. They will just come back at a lower amount.

It would be nice to have Gibson and Goldschmidt back. Gibson was a great veteran clubhouse presence, even mentoring Andre Pallante last season. The starting rotation needs this kind of leadership. Plus, he wanted to play for St. Louis. Having players like that around is great.

Goldschmidt would be good because he still plays a great first base. However, he has struggled mightily at the plate in the two seasons since winning the NL MVP award in 2022. It would be nice to see him return on a one-year incentive-laden deal to redeem himself after struggling. However, it depends on what Goldschmidt would require to return, meaning we must wait and see what's possible. He was not extended a qualifying offer as the free agency period nears.

4. What about current top earners?

Since the end-of-season press conference, it's been certain among a weary fan base that the team would be trading off their most significant assets in Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Sonny Gray. This has been proven more as a feeling rather than any fact.

No one has directly said these players would be traded; it was merely stated that they would be shopped on the trade market. It should also be noted that all three players have a no-trade clause and must approve any deal. If they are moved, they will likely bring a good return. But nothing is set in stone. It would be devastating to see all three moved and receive nothing of value in return. Given the past few years, the fanbase is skeptical of anything Mozeliak and company say. It must be remembered that the organization does seem to have a plan going forward with Bloom and Cerfolio. Mozeliak is in his final season as POBO and will not want to go out on a sour note.

Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, who each have one year remaining on their current contracts, could also be trade targets.

3. Arbitration and Rule 5 eligibility

Ryan Helsley is entering his final year of arbitration. He is expected to get a big payday after a season in which he earned 49 saves as a closer for the Cardinals. He deserves a pay increase, but will he get that from the Cardinals? Helsley is another candidate mentioned as possible trade bait this offseason.

Jojo Romero and John King will be in their second season of arbitration eligibility. While Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Andre Pallante will enter their first seasons of eligibility.

The non-tender deadline is Nov. 22. The Cardinals must decide who they want to protect ahead of the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11, the final day of the Winter Meetings in Dallas. Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby will top that list of players to be added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster.

2. Coaching and coordinators?

As noted above, the Cardinals will add farm and player development directors. Once these roles are filled, the Cardinals should hire coordinators to help develop players throughout the minor league system. This has been Bloom, Cerfolio, and the Cardinals' signature offseason project. It should be interesting to see how this comes to fruition over the next few weeks.

They have hired Brant Brown as their new hitting coach to replace Turner Ward. Jon Jay was hired as an assistant coach after Willie McGee decided to step back into a special assistant to Mozeliak role. This will allow him more freedom to do as he pleases regarding coaching and travel. While Jay was a fan favorite as a player, having some new faces help with the team will be nice. The Cardinals are also expected to hire some behind-the-scenes people, including an embedded analyst for the Major League team. It will be interesting to see who they hire for this role and what it will entail. It will be interesting to see who could be employed as a coordinator and if Skip Schumaker, Albert Pujols, or Yadier Molina could be considered.

1. Free agency?

It can safely be assumed the Cardinals will not test the waters for any big-name free agents this offseason. While they could look to bring back a free agent or two, it's not likely they will be in on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, or any one of the top-tier free-agent pitchers available this offseason.

The Cardinals' starting rotation includes Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Andre Pallante, and Michael McGreevy. Trading Fedde, Mikolas, and Matz would likely make acquiring one of those free agents possible while keeping Gray, Pallante, and McGreevy. It's not likely, but seeing the Cardinals rid themselves of the Fedde, Mikolas, and Matz contracts would be nice, considering the organization's desire to shed payroll.

Going into these GM meetings with low expectations for anything huge to occur is best. Fans should know what Bloom and Cerfolio have planned and how the current roster could change. While deals may not get done, we should see what the organization has planned. Fans have seemed discouraged about this offseason, so it will be good to have some actual work being done instead of the wild speculation.

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