Cardinals' rebuild is giving prospects the necessary structure that was absent before

Had Jurrangelo Cijntje reported to Peoria, Arizona, for Seattle Mariners camp this spring, his destiny as a professional pitcher likely would have changed for good. Drafted as a switch-pitcher, the club was ready to commit to him as a right-handed pitcher only, with opportunities here and there to experiment with the left side in controlled environments, but their status as a World Series contender made getting his right arm ready for big league action the priority.

His destiny will more than likely end up in the same place with the St. Louis Cardinals, but given the state of the organization right now and the emphasis on player development this group has, without the pressure of winning right now, Cijntje has the freedom to try and succeed at this unique trait of his, something that could end up making him a unicorn in today's game.

The Cardinals have time on their side in a way that they haven't in recent years. When the Cardinals' pipeline began to dry up in the late 2010s and early 2020s, particularly on the pitching side of things, they either had to plug holes with veteran starters or rush young arms up to St. Louis like Johan Ovideo and Jordan Hicks. Had the Cardinals been in more of a "win-now" mode under the previous regime, the ultimate priority for them would be getting Cijntje ready for a big league debut.

Now? They can truly be patient. Odds are it doesn't work out, but they have the ability to take the extra time and see if it does. And if they strike gold here, it only helps them rebuild the club in a more impactful way.

Cijntje's skillset is obviously unique, but his situation is now, and there are a number of other prospects and young Major Leaguers who are going to benefit from the lack of pressure to rise up the standings in the early stages of this rebuild.

Chaim Bloom's vision for the Cardinals rebuild is allowing their prospects to grow before they are put in situations that could break them

While Cijntje is the flashy new prospect in camp that clearly represents the direction the Cardinals are heading in and the posture they are taking with player development, there are other new and familiar faces who are going to benefit from this just as much as Cijntje will.

Brandon Clarke, who came over from the Boston Red Sox in the Sonny Gray trade, underwent surgery following the deal in order to clean up some issues that may have led to nagging injuries over the last few years. His upside is immense, so the Cardinals can be hyper-focused on Clarke's long-term health right now so he can reach that upside.

2025 draftees Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin, both of whom have incredible arms of their own, face no pressure coming into camp to "prove" anything on the mound. Rather, the Cardinals are far more focused on building them up for the 2026 season, wanting to set them up for success in their development during their first full year with the organization.

All newcomer Tai Peete has to do is glance over to the big league fields and catch a glimpse of Joshua Baez to understand the kind jump that could be in store for him if he keeps his head down and works. Baez, who was basically written off as a prospect prior to the 2025 campaign, is now a consensus top 100 prospect in the game and had the biggest breakout of any prospect in baseball last year.

Baez himself even represents a shift in philosophy. While the Cardinals would love to see him ascend to St. Louis soon, Chaim Bloom has been steadfast in his belief that Baez now needs to prove himself at Triple-A before that's a true conversation. There's no skipping a level to get a much-needed bat to St. Louis this time. The Cardinals are far more concerned with making sure Baez is ready for a long, big league career than trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

I could go on and on about the various prospects who will benefit from not only the newfound patience that this regime is operating with, but more importantly, the deep investment that has been and is continuing to be made into player development. That investment was evident in the conversation I had with Cardinals' farm director Larry Day recently (you can check that out over on Dealin' the Cards), but that also applies to the Major League team as well.

While the runway is shrinking for Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, both former top prospects are positioned to play a lot in 2026. If things go poorly once again, the Cardinals won't be afraid to pull the plug, but that won't be because they feel the pressure to win right now. The Cardinals have given Walker and Gorman some grace to fail, knowing that by doing so, things may finally be able to "click" for them on the field, and that would be a major revelation for 2027 and beyond.

Prized pitching prospects from the last regime like Tekoah Roby, Tink Hence, and Cooper Hjerpe are all on the Cardinals' 40-man roster this spring, and each of them are unlikely to throw an inning at the Major League level this year. Roby and Hjerpe enter the year recovering from major surgeries, while Hence has just continuously been on the mend year after year, but the Cardinals are content "losing" that 40-man utility from those spots, instead choosing to bet on the upside of those arms for another year.

Ivan Herrera arrived at camp ready to win the catching job after basically being told he may never catch again during the middle of the 2025 season. Again, Bloom's regime has the time to try this out, knowing that if it works, that's a massive revelation for this Cardinals team.

There will come a day and time, hopefully sooner than you'd think, when camp isn't just about the future. But for now, the Cardinals have the benefit of time on their side. Their stated goals of returning to the excellence that Cardinals' fans expect will require some of that. Now it's time to let this regime go to work and see where that takes them over the next 12-36 months.