Cardinals see addition by subtraction as traded veterans struggle with new team

The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten off to an inspiring start to the 2026 season, with electric debuts, big homers, and exciting comebacks. Even if this stellar start does not continue, seeing the Cardinals above .500, yes, even after just six games, might be better than most people expected for the year.

This is despite the national media, and even most St. Louis pundits, expecting the Cardinals to be not only last in the NL Central but also near the very bottom of the entire league standings. These expectations came after Chaim Bloom finally committed to the rebuild that fans were promised and he dealt established veterans Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado to clear up opportunities for the youngsters in the organization. Those middle-of-the-order bats and consistent presence on the mound figured to be huge losses for a team already facing plenty of lineup and rotation questions, but it turns out, Chaim may have cooked yet again.

Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras are off the slow starts for the Red Sox.

Chaim Bloom called the Red Sox, his former employer, multiple times this offseason as the Cardinals dangled basically all of their veterans on the trade market. In two separate deals, Bloom was able to send Gray and Contreras to Boston in exchange for cost-controlled pitching that included Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, among other prospects. The heartbreak of those trades was real, but the outcome has actually been more favorable on the major league roster for St. Louis than for Boston.

As Willson Contreras' biggest fan, this is a tough reality for me to face: It was best for the team for him to be traded. Even in a rebuild, I was hesitant of the move because of the lack of first basemen knocking down the door in the minors and Lars Nootbaar facing injury concerns yet again in the outfield. I was holding out hope that Alec Burleson could fill left field most days and sub in for Contreras for other games before the Cardinals eventually traded Contreras at the deadline. To me, this kept two potent bats in a lineup that was severely lacking power and run-scoring prowess.

And yet, I was wrong (so far). Burleson has made his mark as a solid first baseman and kept his Silver Slugger hitting up from 2025 while Contreras has struggled thus far. Through six games, Burleson has five RBIs and his incredible Opening Day homer while also flashing the glove at first base. In that same timespan, Contreras has a grand total of one RBI and six strikeouts. During the first month-plus with St. Louis last year, the former Cardinal was contributing to the team's run totals early, knocking in 18 runs through April. Still plenty of time, but the money savings and the prospect capital received for the Cardinals seem to be a major win thus far.

In an even smaller sample size, the trade of Sonny Gray had a Red Sox debut that was similar to what we saw while he was in St. Louis. In his first start, Gray lasted four innings, allowed six hits and a walk, struck out five hitters, and allowed a homer. The full Sonny Gray experience. The homers were an issue during Gray's two seasons in St. Louis, which hampered his run prevention and that could end up being a trend as Gray pitches his 14th year in the league. Trading him meant the Cardinals would be without a consistent veteran presence in the rotation, but the allure of filling his spot with younger talent made the deal more palatable.

The money savings from the trade gave Bloom a couple extra bucks to shell out for Dustin May, and the openings left by Miles Mikolas, Erick Fedde, and Steven Matz departing allowed Kyle Leahy to begin his transition from reliever to starter. So far, both May and Leahy have struggled as well, but the Cardinals are in a better state learning what these two can do rather than trotting out Gray at the end of his career a la Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt.

Obviously, the first week or so of the season is going to be full of storylines that will be no longer relevant in the near future, but I think the majority of Cardinals fans are understanding that these deals needed to happen. I will never root against these guys, but it is good to see St. Louis on the right side of a deal so far.