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As the Chicago Cubs will use this offseason to close the gap between them and the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals seem destined to rebuild over the next season before a new front office takes over.
Chaim Bloom is set to take over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations following the 2025 season, and it seems like St. Louis is preparing for the reset. It was a reset that came into focus at the start of free agency, with longtime Cardinals' first baseman Paul Goldschmidt becoming a free agent and the club also declining club options for veteran pitchers Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Kenyan Middleton.
The Cardinals finished the 2024 season with the same record as the Cubs, 83-79, but in this transition year from one front office to another, it seems they are destined to regroup during the 2025 season.
Included in that regrouping is not only acknowledging that signing Willson Contreras to be their long-term catcher was a mistake but also opening the door to a trade of third baseman Nolan Arenado this offseason.
The latest from Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
The Cardinals will consider trading 3B Nolan Arenado, as Katie Woo of The Athletic first reported...Arenado could fit the Yankees or Mets.
To be fair, Arenado's power regression is a large part of the reason why the Cardinals have begun on this path to resetting their Major League roster. Nevertheless, a trade of Arenado would signal that the Cardinals do intend on punting in the 2025 season.
If that is the case, there is no excuse for the Cubs not to be aggressive in closing the gap between them and the Brewers this offseason. The Cardinals won't be down for long, but the Cubs can create some distance if they truly get closer to constructing a roster capable of winning 90 games season after season. Otherwise, the Cubs will risk Bloom taking over the Cardinals next offseason and running circles around the Cubs' front office like the Brewers currently do.