Bill DeWitt Jr. was right about one thing with the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals

Since John Mozeliak departed and Chaim Bloom supplanted him as president of baseball operations, team Chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. has been adamant that this isn't a rebuild for the St. Louis Cardinals. While many throughout baseball, fans included, have called the 2026 season a rebuilding one for the Cardinals, the team's chairman has purposefully avoided using that term.

At the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up, Bill DeWitt Jr. was asked a plethora of questions by a panel of media members. While those asking the questions used the infamous "rebuild" term, DeWitt Jr. avoided it like the plague.

John Denton of MLB.com and Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch both asked Bill DeWitt Jr. questions that included the word "rebuild". In each of his responses, DeWitt Jr. opted to use the word "building". "It's hard to quantify, to say what would success be," said the organization's chairman. "Obviously, we're building, and success is a winning season."

Later in the press conference, DeWitt Jr. once again switched up the language. When asked about the direction of the franchise shifting directions, he contradicted the questioner directly. "Well, when you say 'rebuild', it's 'build'. I don't know about 'rebuild.' DeWitt Jr. then detailed Chaim Bloom's history with both Boston and Tampa Bay, emphasizing the POBO's strong track record with drafting and developing players.

With several young veterans already on the roster in Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, and Matthew Liberatore, a build made far more sense for the organization's direction even after dealing pricey veterans during the offseason.

The 2026 St. Louis Cardinals have proven Bill DeWitt Jr. right in his analysis of the direction of the team thus far.

During the offseason, fans and media members were more than willing to dub the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals season as a rebuilding one. Bill DeWitt Jr. refusing to use that word could have been a business ploy on his part to lure more fans to Busch Stadium. Attendance had fallen in three straight seasons, and the DeWitt family was finding any avenue to rejuvenate an apathetic fan base.

There's also a strong possibility that Bill DeWitt Jr. fully believed the 2026 season wouldn't be a flop.

His word choice has proven to be accurate thus far.

Prior to games on Saturday, May 9th, the Cardinals were in second place in a very tough National League Central and sole owners of the first Wild Card playoff spot. Jordan Walker is on a tear, JJ Wetherholt looks like a Rookie of the Year candidate, the starting pitching has gotten by, and the defense has been exceptional. The young players upon whose shoulders the future rested are showing up. Things are looking bright already for Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals.

There's still quite a ways to go for the Cardinals to be seen league-wide as a powerhouse. However, the "build" is off to a strong start already. The Cardinals have a top-three farm system in baseball, they have six top-100 picks in the 2026 MLB draft, and they have ample spending power to be flexed over the next few offseasons. A 23-15 record through their first 38 games is an excellent consolation prize, and it's proof that a rebuild can be done quickly and efficiently.

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