The Cardinals were graded as having the worst offseason in Major League Baseball

2025 MLB Spring Training is finally here, and we now have St. Louis Cardinals games back in our lives. After a very long winter of waiting for the bitter cold to turn into a shiny cool breeze, fans are now getting excited for their team to return once again. But for the 2025 Cardinals, fans might not be looking forward to what is ahead. When most teams use the offseason for preparation and retooling heading into a new season, the Cardinals did the complete opposite.

The preparation fans were promised was an organizational "reset" that gave the indication that the current era of Cardinals baseball was coming to a close. Fans were prepared to lose their franchise icons, and the organization was ready to turn the page into the next chapter with the next young core. It was even publicly addressed that the organization wanted to move their veteran pieces to open roster spots for younger guys to play and prove themselves. It went to the extreme of openly stating that Nolan Arenado would be traded.

The retooling was cleaning off the current supply to reuse for 2025. The organization made zero free-agent signings to the MLB club and made very minimal moves within the rest of the organization. In areas where the team would benefit from filling holes left by players who were not extended and forced into free agency, they opted to ignore the issue and proceed with every risk attached to it. The team also did not make a single trade as they desired. All the veteran players rumored to be potential trade chips are still here, and they look to be locked in until their contracts expire. Nolan Arenado, who has become a national storyline, is playing games for the Cardinals currently in Spring Training. The one opportunity to move him was shot down by Arenado, and the Cardinals failed to find another suitor.

As the club proceeds into the final year of the John Mozeliak era, they have no direction on what is expected for 2025. They state it is a platform year for younger players to prove themselves while also saying they intend to compete for the postseason. Both outlooks look bleak, and the Cardinals look stuck in neutral. Because of this state of limbo for the Cardinals, they have been voted as having the worst offseason in Major League Baseball. The Athletic (subscription required) has given them an F grade, which is tied with the Miami Marlins for the worst in the league. If local media is critical of the team and their direction, that is one thing. But when the biggest national media outlet for MLB is calling you out, time to pay attention.