Veterans wanting to stay means the Cardinals may be competitive again in 2025

St. Louis Cardinals fans have been dreading just how bad the reset will be this offseason. Outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak gave fans some reassurances during a media session at the general manager's meeting in San Antonio.

"I'm not like looking to blow this thing up," Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

It is refreshing to hear from Mozeliak, as many of the team's armchair GMs expect the team to be decimated. Mozeliak said no, so I'll believe it.

Some exciting decisions have come to light in recent days that shed a ray of hope for the future.

Two of the club's three big contracts have let Mozeliak know they want to remain with the club.

Willson Contreras will stay and move to first base and designated hitter for the club. This is great because it helps Conteras remain healthy and in the line-up for the Cardinals. Contreras was the team's best hitter last season, hitting .262/.380/.468 with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 48 runs scored, 36 RBIs, and four stolen bases. But he had two significant injury stints that sidelined him. Allowing him not to take the everyday punches that come with being the team's everyday catcher.

Contreras' move to first base and DH clears up the question of who will play first base with the departure of Paul Goldschmidt. Alec Burleson and Luken Baker will earn opportunities as well. The move also ensures Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages will have opportunities to become the Cardinals' every day catchers.

The Cardinals staff ace Sonny Gray also wants to stay with the Cardinals. This is beautiful news, as he didn't have the greatest of first seasons with the club. He will get a chance to redeem himself and lead the pitching staff. Gray had many issues, including a hamstring strain that delayed the start of his season. He went 13-9 over 28 starts, pitching in 166.1 innings. He had 203 strikeouts for the Cardinals and a called strike and whiff rate of 31.2 percent, meaning he gets a good amount of swing and miss, a pitching trait the club has emphasized.

The one high-dollar contract not mentioned in this story discussing players staying is Nolan Arenado. It was unclear if he had spoken with the club or asked to be moved.

While many wonder if he was frustrated by not winning over the past couple of seasons, he was not a huge contributor at the plate. He hit .272/.375/.394 with an OPS of .719. He hit 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 70 runs scored, and 71 RBIs while swiping two stolen bases. It's good, but not what you expect to get from Arenado.

The Platinum Glove-winning third baseman does have a no-trade clause, so he must approve any move. Arenado has been a player the club has sought leadership from on and off the field, but his struggles at the plate have been frustrating. He also requested Mozeliak bring in others to help with leadership in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. That's not what you want from Arenado.

Mozeliak may not want to admit it publicly, but the two sides may have realized it's time to part ways.

Mozeliak said that knowing Gray and Contreras want to stay, plus their goal of giving younger players a chance, helps them chart how they want to build a roster for 2025 and beyond. Mozeliak said he had a "handful" of players on whom he would entertain trade offers.

The Cardinals have some excellent talent they will fully give opportunities to this spring. They need some young, veteran pitching, a veteran outfielder, and a veteran third baseman if Arenado is traded. The club can not settle on just playing the young roster. They do need good, everyday veteran players. Having some pieces to trade will help achieve that goal.

Kudos to Mozeliak for confirming he won't blow up the team. This assurance, plus seeing the fruition of Chaim Bloom and Rob Cerefolo's player development plans, should bode well for an interesting few weeks this offseason.