The offseason losses that hurt the most for Cardinals

The Cardinals have certainly been a lot better than expected this season, especially when considering that they purged their roster of veteran players and decided to go with a younger team in 2026. If anything, that may have lit a fire under the younger players, taking the pressure off and allowing them to just go out and play without fearing that their jobs are on the line. For a while, that might have led to some winning baseball.

Though the Cardinals have come back down to earth, this is still considerably better than what was expected. Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan were all traded away over the winter, and the Cardinals made sure to accumulate a lot of solid talent in return, which has them set up well for the future.

However, that doesn't mean that certain losses don't hurt more than others. I truly believe the Contreras and Donovan deals were blessings because they cleared first base and second base for Alec Burleson and JJ Wetherholt. Burleson would still be a DH-type player if those moves weren't made, and it might have been harder to find a spot for Wetherholt. But what about the others?

Why Cardinals are missing Sonny Gray

Gray I think was the biggest loss out of everybody. The starting rotation has done its job this season, but still lacks that true ace. The numbers Gray has put up with the Red Sox prove that he is more than capable of being that type of pitcher. But it especially hurt after Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins went on the injured list.

Pallante is back, but for a while, the Cardinals had to scramble to find somebody to fill a spot. If Gray was still around, they could have still had a No. 1 starter that can be trusted to eat innings and shut down the opposition, and even beat some of the better pitchers in Major League Baseball.

They could have had some extra depth when some of their arms went down last month. Perhaps this is something the Cardinals could correct in the offseason. Gray is a free agent, and though retirement is a possibility, a reunion with the Cardinals isn't impossible. He enjoyed his time here, and I think having him back would be great, even in the middle of a rebuild.

Nolan Arenado's absence is being felt

Of all the players that the Cardinals needed to trade, Arenado was the one, simply because of his contract. The Cardinals needed to get out from under some of that money. Now, by saying the Cardinals are missing Gray and Arenado, I'm not saying that trading them was a mistake or that they didn't need to rebuild. They absolutely did need a rebuild, and I would say it's going pretty well thus far.

What the Cardinals are missing from Arenado is that elite defense at third base, as well as his bat, which had declined in St. Louis, but was still productive. Nobody has really stuck as the third baseman of the future for the Cardinals. Blaze Jordan came the closest to doing so, but his season is likely over after spraining his ankle in August. Having somebody entrenched at third base would have been nice.

Arenado has won several Gold Gloves and Platinum Gloves and was an MVP candidate in 2022. No, the Cardinals were never going to be a true contender this year, but the absence of Arenado is certainly being felt.

Perhaps Jordan is the third baseman of the future, or maybe it's Thomas Saggese, but Arenado's defense is certainly missed.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow