The Cardinals should take this page out of the Cubs playbook this offseason

I don't often find myself saying the St. Louis Cardinals could learn a thing or two from the Chicago Cubs, but as we sit here today wondering what the Redbirds' resurgent season means long-term, they may want to make an aggressive move to solidify their core like the Cubs did last offseason.

Coming off an 83-79 record like the Cardinals last year (although St. Louis technically finished higher in the standings, for the record), the Cubs were rumored to be one of the more aggressive teams in baseball heading into the offseason. No, they did not jump into the Juan Soto sweepstakes like other teams did, likely due to that $700+ million dollar number that was awaiting him, but they did get creative in targeting a superstar who was available via trade.

On December 13th, the Cubs agreed to a blockbuster deal with the Houston Astros to acquire MVP-caliber outfielder Kyle Tucker in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith, who ended up making the Astros' Opening Day roster. It was a rich price to pay for sure, but one that has launched Chicago into World Series contention this year.

The Cardinals should consider doing the same, as their roster is uniquely positioned to make a similar jump if things continue to trend the way they have.

The Cardinals should take a page out of the Cubs playbook this offseason and trade for a superstar

The Cardinals are not unfamiliar with similar levels of aggression on the trade market during an offseason. They've traded for Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to bolster their lineup, but both of those were extremely unique situations that allowed St. Louis to take on superstars toward the end of their primes for cents on the dollar.

Trading for someone like Tucker is more akin to deals they've made for Jason Heyward and Marcell Ozuna in the 2010s, although I think we can all agree that Tucker's pedigree was a leg up on both of those bats, even at the time of those trades.

The Cardinals gave up one of the best young starters in baseball in Shelby Miller alongside pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins for Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden. Heyward had a career year with the Cardinals in 2015, posting a 7 bWAR season and finally tapping into his offensive upside during the second half of that season. Heyward would leave the Cardinals for the Cubs in free agency, but St. Louis did reportedly offer him more money than the Cubs did to stay.

After the 2017 season, the Cardinals traded for young Marlins' slugger Marcell Ozuna (after Giancarlo Stanton vetoed a trade there earlier in the offseason) in exchange for prospects Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Magneuris Sierra, and Daniel Castano. Ozuna had a dissapointing two years with St. Louis, mostly due to a shoulder injury that limited his production when he was on the field, but Ozuna has been the bat the Cardinals hoped he'd be since leaving St. Louis.

Tucker has been a force in the middle of the Cubs' lineup this season, slashing .277/.385/.518 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI, resulting in a 149 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR season as we close the month of May. Tucker has been one of the best players in baseball for years now, and his bat has completely transformed the Cubs' offense.

After ranking middle of the pack as an offense in 2024, the Cubs now rank top three in all of baseball in wRC+, batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, offensive fWAR, and wOBA among other offensive categories. That is not solely because of Tucker's addition to their lineup, but trading for him has coincided with the emergence of other talent to create a dangerous lineup.

The Cubs currently have five bats in their lineup posting a 132 wRC+ or higher in Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and yes, former Cardinal Carson Kelly. But what also makes their lineup special is that the other four guys in their lineup are all above league-average bats as well. There are five incredibly difficult outs in their lineup, and then four other bats who deepen that lineup and make things extremely difficult for opposing pitchers.

Looking over at the Cardinals' lineup this year, the club has two elite hitters in Ivan Herrera (185 wRC+) and Brendan Donovan (145 wRC+), as well as two great producers alongside them so far in Lars Nootbaar (118 wRC+) and Masyn Winn (120 wRC+). Willson Contreras figures to finish the year closer to some of those names, but currently sits with a 98 wRC+ on the season. Bats like Alec Burleson (105 wRC+), Nolan Arenado (94 wRC+), and Victor Scott II (101 wRC+) lengthen the Cardinals' lineup and also have room to produce more over the course of the season.

As a team, the Cardinals rank top 10 in all of baseball in wRC+, batting average, on-base percentage, wOBA, runs, and offensive fWAR, but they are a tier below the Cubs right now, and part of that is the Kyle Tucker effect. While Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras, and Lars Nootbaar matchup well with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, and Carson Kelly, they don't have their Tucker, and that allows the Cubs' lineup to become all the more dangerous.

It is unlikely the Cardinals will sign a player like Tucker in free agency until Major League Baseball makes some changes to the CBA to level the playing field financially. I'm not defending that, I'm just being a realist. Although they did trade for Arenado's contract, they tried to trade for Giancarlo Stanton's deal, and they did make $200+ million dollar offers to David Price and Jason Heyward in the 2010s, when $200 million felt like an even bigger number than it does today. Maybe now that they are having Arenado's money come off the books here soon, they'd consider making a splash like that.

But assuming they wouldn't, their paths toward acquiring superstar talent involve either developing it themselves or trading for it. While there is hope that Herrera's bat could be that kind of producer long-term, it will take more than him to become a truly elite offense.

Bats like Tucker are not available for trade frequently, so supply is part of this. If teams do not want to part with a player of that caliber, the Cardinals cannot control that. But this coming offseason, if an opportunity presents itself to add an elite bat to their lineup, they should be one of the first in line, as it could take them to a whole other level offensively, especially if that bat has a lot of power.

I'm going to throw one name out there today that I am personally keeping my eye on. I'm not telling you he is going to become available or that the Cardinals would do this, but honestly, I see how the stars could align this winter for St. Louis to acquire Rafael Devers.

Coming into the season, the Boston Red Sox, Chaim Bloom's former team, had World Series buzz due to their incredible farm system (thanks to Bloom) and already established big league talent, like Devers. There has been a ton of controversy surrounding Devers this year due to his unwillingness to change positions midseason to help the team, which may not sit well with St. Louis, but perhaps Bloom's connection with Devers, paired with a fresh start, could be a really good thing for all parties involved.

Devers is in year three of a ten-year, $313 million dollar extension (one Bloom played a major role in orchestrating), and at 28 years old, is the same age as Tucker. Devers, even with the controversy, is having a better year than Tucker offensively, posting a .291/.413/.523 slash line, 12 home runs, 52 RBI, and a 159 wRC+. I highly doubt Boston wants to give him up right now, but it may come to that if the two sides have too much damage done to their relationship already.

It would cost a lot to acquire Devers, but with all of the money owed to him, it shouldn't be beyond what the Cubs gave up for Tucker. Adding Devers to the middle of the Cardinals' order would move their lineup from a hyper-productive unit to one of the top in baseball, looking something like this:

1. LF Lars Nootbaar
2. SS Masyn Winn
3. 3B Rafael Devers
4. 1B Willson Contreras
5. DH Ivan Herrera
6. 2B Brendan Donovan
7. RF Jordan Walker/Alec Burleson
8. C Pedro Pages
9. CF Victor Scott II

It's June, so I'm not trying to make some hot take that the Cardinals will trade for Devers, and yes, I know that means that I'd also have to figure out how to move Arenado's money. I get all of that.

The point I am making here is that this Cardinals' lineup has the pieces to be truly elite, and if they go out and grab that top-end bat to add to their lineup, then they could be like the Cubs next year, top three in most major offensive categories. It's a tall task for sure, but one the Cardinals should be aggressive in pursuing.

The Cardinals' payroll sits around $149 million currently, and Mozeliak has been open about ownership's willingness to get back to the level of spending they were at before if the young talent is ready to compete. The Cardinals' payroll will be around $106 million prior to arbitration raises this coming offseason, and the club was sitting around $190 million in 2024. Adding a big contract to their books via trade shouldn't be an issue if they really want to do it.

Talk about starting the Bloom era off with a bang and really rallying the city around this Cardinals team and filling Busch Stadium once again. If the Cardinals continue to have good vibes this season and add a bat like Devers to the lineup as Bloom takes over, I think revenues will be way up in 2026 for the DeWitt family, and this club could really make noise in the National League.