Cardinals Winter Meetings: Trades are on the horizon according to Oli Marmol

Day one of the Winter Meetings is in the books without much action to speak of. Armed with some of the most desired pieces on the trade market, the St. Louis Cardinals do not expect their phones to remain quiet for long.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol says more trades are on the way

Prior to the annual GM and ownership meetings, the Cardinals made the first big splash of the offseason when they dealt Sonny Gray to the Red Sox for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. That move is expected to be the first of many as the Cardinals fully commit to their first rebuild in decades. Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Alec Burleson have all been oft-mentioned candidates to be traded this offseason with varying degrees of probability. While the first day was slow, manager Oli Marmol made some small waves by confirming what we all know: more trades are coming soon.

That is not much of an update, as it just confirms what has been stated by Chaim Bloom and the St. Louis media since the end of the 2025 season. For the third consecutive year, the Cardinals missed the playoffs and the transition from John Mozeliak to Bloom has also created a shift in philosophy. The newfound desire to add high-powered pitching is a welcomed change and is likely a top priority for the Cardinals in any trade involving their major league pieces. Within Marmol's interview with Foul Territory, he was very complimentary of Sonny Gray and understands that the team now needs to replace his innings and quality on the mound.

Encouragingly, Marmol and Bloom appear to be on the same page even during a difficult time for the organization. For the four seasons that Marmol has been in charge, it is clear he expects his players to work hard and compete every game and that expectation will continue even in a potential down 2026 season. The Cardinals will likely have a lineup full of major-league caliber talent, but the pitching staff has major questions both in the starting five and in the bullpen. With Marmol returning to the bench next year, and potentially beyond, keeping some level of consistency with the roster and coaching staff makes sense.

Because of that, I anticipate the Cardinals targeting minor league prospects that are in AA or above, with a projectable path to the majors. This may not always mean the talent coming back in a trade is the most exciting, but those types of returns do typically provide at least some value at the major league level. That has been how St. Louis has operated while under Mozeliak, so it will be interesting to see what type of prospects Bloom tends to target in any deals. In the Gray deal, he received that MLB arm as well as an intriguing low-level prospect, so it is possible he finds a way to get both assets back as a trade return.