Shopping Sonny Gray could signal a full-scale rebuild for the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals appear prepared to head in a new direction in 2025 as they look to cut payroll and overhaul their minor league system. Those changes could be more significant than many fans expected after a USA Today article from Bob Nightengale said that the Cardinals are open to trading Sonny Gray in the offseason.

The thought that the Cardinals could be willing to move Gray despite two years remaining on a backloaded contract leads one to believe that the Cardinals are about to execute a whirlwind of changes throughout the roster that might also include offloads of Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras.

Arenado, Contreras and Gray possess no-trade clauses, but as the team's promises to their stars to field a winner have gone unfulfilled, nobody should blame those three if they feel slighted by the front office and waive those clauses to escape St. Louis and play for contenders. Gray and Arenado are in their mid-30s and are running out of time to experience their first World Series titles.

Rumors have swirled regarding the Cardinals' potential interest in re-signing Paul Goldschmidt, who is headed for free agency after a career-worst season, but if a major rebuild is in the cards, it appears unlikely that he will be wearing the birds on the bat come 2025.

The Cardinals are also likely to listen to offers on All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, who set the team's all-time single-season saves record on Sept. 27 with his 49th save of the year. Helsley should receive plenty of interest around the league as the Cardinals' most valuable piece.

Fans who were expecting a retool rather than a rebuild might end up disappointed as the Cardinals look closer to a roster revamp than at any time in the past two decades. The team's promises to Arenado and Goldschmidt to field a winner have gone unfulfilled, and nobody should blame those two if they feel slighted by the front office and want out of St. Louis.

The press conference with John Mozeliak on Sept. 30 should shed more light on what the Cardinals' plans are for 2025. If Gray and other franchise pillars are dealt, the Cardinals will face a rocky road over the next few seasons. Failure is a word that has been foreign to the last two or three generations of Cardinals fans, but it might be time to get acquainted with it in order for the team to find success again down the road.