The Cardinals youth moment is key to fan interest, not holding veteran assets

If the St. Louis Cardinals are afraid fans won't come to the ballpark in 2025, I'll let them in on a secret. Holding onto Nolan Arenado, Ryan Helsley, or Erick Fedde won't help draw fans in.

While it seems like Arenado is as good as gone, it does appear right now that John Mozeliak would prefer to hold onto Helsley and Fedde so the club can "be better than people think" next year, but in all honesty, do they really expect fans to show out for a slightly above-average team (if they can even manage that)?

If the Cardinals are going to be exciting enough for fans to come to Busch Stadium in 2025, it is not because of Helsley in the ninth or Fedde's dependable starts. It will be because of the rise of Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and other young talent they want to elevate in 2025. And if that's the case, why not just put all your eggs in that basket anyway?

The performance of the Cardinals young talent will determine fan interest next year

What has frustrated many Cardinals fans for a while now is this kind of "half-measure" mentality the club continues to take. For years, the half-measures were related to maintaining their ability to be a contender for the NL Central title or a Wild Card spot while refusing to be aggressive enough to become true World Series contenders. Now during this "reset", the half-measure seems to be the club's reluctance to embrace a true reset and instead is only doing "part" of what it takes to build toward the future.

Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras wishing to stay in St. Louis is part of that conundrum. Maybe they change their minds or the Cardinals get an awesome offer that causes them to rethink their decision. But not being able to move those two assets set them back a bit in terms of money they could move, but more importantly, prospect capital to be gained.

But in the case of names like Helsley, Fedde, and Arenado, if the right deals present themselves this offseason, the club should absolutely take those offers in order to improve their future.

As I said earlier, any scenario where the Cardinals are good in 2025 is due to the fact that players like Walker, Gorman, and Winn show why they were top prospects in all of baseball. Winn is off an excellent rookie campaign while Gorman and Walker are just a year removed from their own breakouts. All three could headline a fun, up-and-coming lineup.

Mozeliak continues to bring up Walker and Gorman's names for a reason. In 2023, Walker produced like a top 50 hitter in all of baseball upon being recalled in St. Louis in June after his early season demotion. At just 21 years old, Walker was producing like a seasoned veteran. 2024 was a huge step back for Walker overall, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he can get back on track in 2025 and beyond.

Gorman has truly elite power that does not come very often. In 2023, Gorman's first full big league season, he put up four months of production that were worthy of an MVP conversation (April, May, July, Sept/Oct.), one below-average month (August), and one dreadful month in June. We would be foolish to believe Gorman is going to stop being a streaky hitter, but are the Cardinals wrong to want to see if he can regain the ability to carry their offense once again?

Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, Thomas Saggese, and Victor Scott II all have the ability to compliment, or in the case of those first four names, join Walker, Gorman, and Winn as true core pieces in the lineup that can compete moving forward.

Nootbaar, whenever he remains on the field, has shown the ability to be one of the most intriguing young bats in today's game. The question marks surrounding his durability are real though, and if he cannot stay healthy in 2025, his future will be murky. But should Nootbaar stay on the field next season, he's an extremely fun player who impacts winning in a real way.

Donovan's defensive versatility, on-base skills, and sneaky power have helped him become one of the better lead-off hitters in today's game and a run producer when needed. Herrera was the Cardinals' second-best hitter last year but only played in half of their games. Burleson had a red-hot first half but slowed down significantly in the second half. Saggese and Scott both present intriguing long-term upsides, with Saggese's bat being one that could make an impact immediately.

That's all just on the position player side of things. Unlike 2023 and 2024 where any promise from young talent mostly centered on the position player group, the 2025 Cardinals should have some young pitching to excite fans as well. We already got a full look at Andre Pallante and what he can bring in 2024, and Michael McGreevy will surely get a chance to build upon his great performances as well.

But we also know MiLB Pitcher of the Year Quinn Mathews is nearing his debut, boasting incredible swing-and-miss from the left side and true front-line starter potential. Tink Hence still has durability concerns, but he also has the stuff of a front-line starter and can make his way to St. Louis this year as well. Cooper Hjerpe and Tekoah Roby may even get their own shots at some point as well.

Here's the point - don't hear me as saying the 2025 Cardinals are going to be a playoff team where all their young talent hits and the future is as bright as ever, but there are plenty of scenarios where enough of this young talent hits that the club is fun, competitive, and worth dreaming on for 2026 and beyond. And that is what the Cardinals should be marketing next year.

The world where fans come back to the ballpark is the one where Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar are leading the offense next year. It's the world where multiple of Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Thomas Saggese produce in meaningful ways at the plate. It's the world where one or both of Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence show fans why they can lead the rotation in the future. It's the world where Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Cooper Hjerpe, Matthew Liberatore, Tekoah Roby, Gordon Graceffo, or other young arms fill meaningful innings in the rotation and bullpen.

That is how the Cardinals get fans back to Busch Stadium in 2025. Frankly, barring some 95th-percentile outcomes or better, the Cardinals are not going to be finishing above the Cubs or Brewers in the standings. Trying to fool fans into thinking that is the goal is not fair to the city of St. Louis. But going all in on that young core and seeing it blossom, with names like JJ Wetherholt and whoever they draft at number five overall in 2025 following soon, is what will excite fans moving forward.

We all know how this works though. The odds that all of those players pan out are low. The fact that there are so many to dream on is a plus though and makes it more likely than not that they have a core of some kind to build off of after the season. But this is where the trades come into play. Want to increase the likelihood that this young core is exciting after 2025? Make sure to add to it in the Helsley, Fedde, and Arenado trades.

If Mozeliak and the front office cater to the 2025 playoff odds more than to the core they are building for 2026 and beyond, not only will it not result in fans in the seats next year, but it will result in lower crowds in future years as well. Set Chaim Bloom up for success. Prioritize the future. Let go of assets that can help you do that. And see what this young core can do in 2025.