3 highs and 3 lows of the Cardinals' offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals team and front office have put the fanbase on an emotional rollercoaster this offseason. After an abysmal season, some fans had hope that it would get better while others believed the 2023 season was a sign of things to come for the franchise. Regardless of where you started in your offseason disposition, there were several moments that offered fans rays of hope and others that provided reason for sorrow.

Plenty of changes occurred this offseason in St. Louis; from players on the field to coaches in the dugout, to those wearing suits in the offices, new faces abound for the 2024 team. Some of these moves provided solace and joy for fans while others wrought pain and disaster among the loyal St. Louis fans.

I am a forever optimist, sometimes to a fault; I believe in the organization that has one of the best-winning percentages in baseball since the turn of the century. While some of these moves may have seemed disappointing at the time, I hold out hope that the front office knew what they were doing with each move.

Here are 3 times this offseason in which Cardinal fans experienced moments of emotional jubilation and 3 moments where spirits were crushed.

High moment #1: The St. Louis Cardinals sign Sonny Gray.

After back-to-back seasons without a pitcher in the top 20 of fWAR in a season, the Cardinals were desperate for an ace to lead the staff. By signing Sonny Gray, they not only got an on-field ace but also an off-field leader. Gray, 34, finished in second place last year in American League Cy Young voting.

Fans were ecstatic when news dropped regarding Gray's signing. Though it had been hinted at all offseason, to see a deal come to fruition elated the fanbase. The fact that Gray was willing to defer millions of dollars to maintain financial flexibility in 2024 only added to the allure of the deal.

With a newfound ace, the starting rotation was much better off. Had the Cardinals missed out on Sonny Gray and instead settled for a player like Eduardo Rodriguez or Marcus Stroman, fans would have been rightly frustrated with the front office.

Surely, nothing could go wrong with their ace, right?