Giving thanks for all things Cardinals

Funny how things can change in just a little less than two years. Back in 2022, I wrote a piece for Redbird Rants arguing that the Cardinals should show their thanks to Nolan Arenado for opting into his contract by building a better team around him. Now, with Thanksgiving 2024 right around the corner, how many fans are hoping he waives his no-trade clause to jumpstart the team’s youth movement?

I, for one, am in the (minority?) crowd that thinks a presence like Nolan around this team could be beneficial to the up-and-comers, while still allowing for the team to play respectable baseball if not fully compete in a weakened division.

Alas, we’ll see what happens with Arenado. In the Thanksgiving spirit, though, here are some things I’m still thankful for as a Cardinals fan, even after two consecutive years with no October baseball. Hopefully the thanks offered here ages better than my last attempt.

Willson Contreras

Some fans are frustrated that Contreras will still be around next year, worrying that he’ll take away playing time for others. I can’t help but offer thanks to someone who is committed to the Cardinals, reset or not, and position change or not. Players like this – those who profess their love of the city and its teams and then follow through with actions – are usually feted by fans. Why should Contreras, who has overcome so many bumps with this team already, not receive the same love?

Sonny Gray

If we’re going to be grateful for Contreras for sticking around, we should give kudos to Sonny Gray as well, who reportedly has told the team he wants to stick around for the reset. For a pitcher who has only had six appearances in the postseason, it speaks volumes that he’s willing to lead the rotation for at least the next few years.

For as rotten as the pitching pipeline has been recently, the Cardinals have had a long tradition of a veteran pitcher setting the tone over the last two decades, from Darryl Kile to Matt Morris to Chris Carpenter to Adam Wainwright. Perhaps Gray can be the next link in that chain?

A Quiet Offseason

This one is a bit of a reach but bear with me.  (I’m aiming for optimism here!)  It seems almost every offseason, the team is linked with some of the offseason’s top free agents, as unlikely as it may be.  (Admit it, you talked yourself at least into the possibility of the Cardinals signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year around this time.) 

I’d rather that disappointment than a team openly admitting it won’t be built to contend but at least it means there won’t be a letdown this winter.

Masyn Winn

It’s been forever since fans of the Redbirds have gone into a season with expectations purposefully lowered. Baseball Heaven is going to need a jolt of excitement this season and who better to lead that charge than the sparkplug at shortstop?

If nothing else, Winn will provide a buzz, something that may be severely lacking this year.

Home Opener

No matter what the outlook is for 2025, the magic of the home opener isn’t going to change. The bunting, the Clydesdales, the red jacket Hall of Famers. It admittedly may end up being the high point of the season but, if nothing else, we know that the team will do the home opener right. And with legalized betting now in Missouri, there have to be prop bets on how long the boos for John Mozeliak will last, right?

Cardinals Nation

Yes, it’s corny, but of course we have to save the best for last. Passion runs high, tempers flare on social media, and everyone has their own opinion. But there’s no question that the Best Fans in Baseball just seem to care more than anywhere else.

Without Cardinals Nation, this website would never exist. Thank you all for giving us an outlet to share our thoughts.