Three things the Cardinals must do if they are truly rebuilding

10/04/2024 08:00 AM

After finishing 2024 with a record of 83-79, the Cardinals have made it clear that they plan to rebuild, even if they aren't directly acknowledging it. This means that they may cut the cord on some of their veteran players with large contracts.

Think Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz, though the latter two will be tougher to trade given their struggles. Unfortunately, it might be a while before the Cardinals are back to contender status.

But if this is the direction the Cardinals are choosing to take, and they decide to trade some players, they must also do these three things.

Trade Ryan Helsley

This one seems obvious. Helsley just had the best season of his career, saving a franchise record 49 games, posting a 2.04 ERA and earning his second All-Star nod. He's also on an expiring contract, and his value will be incredibly high.

In my opinion, the Cardinals made a mistake not trading him at the deadline. They should have been sellers this year. But this is a mistake they can and should correct in the offseason. His salary is only going to jump, especially with arbitration. In all likelihood, St. Louis won't be able to keep him past 2025 anyway.

So, it makes sense to capitalize on his value now. I'd really like to see what the Cardinals can get for him.

Make Ivan Herrera the starting catcher

Before we get into the next point, I want to stress that I am in no way trying to throw shade at Pedro Pages. He showed a lot of promise this year, and his defense was quite good.

However, the Cardinals need to prioritize Ivan Herrera. Yes, his defense needs work and isn't quite as good as what Pages brings to the table. But he is a far superior hitter. Whenever he got the chance this year, he did nothing but hit.

He has all offseason to work on his defense, and there's no reason to think he can't improve on that and take the starting job if Contreras is traded, something I feel is likely. Contreras himself improved on his defense from 2023 to 2024, so it's possible. Alec Burleson is another example.

More playing time for Thomas Saggese and Luken Baker

While both Thomas Saggese and Luken Baker have room to improve, I want to see them play more frequently if the Cardinals are truly committed to a rebuild. I had written a piece on how I was glad the Cardinals were playing Saggese every day, but then they stopped doing that for a little bit.

His bat is getting better, and he can play three of the four infield positions. Perhaps he can take over second base or even be used at third base if Arenado is traded.

As for Baker, I really liked what I saw when he got his chances. He's got power from the right side and could potentially be the heir apparent to Paul Goldschmidt, who is likely gone this offseason.

If the Cardinals are going to step back from contention, then the young players need every opportunity to play, and possibly fail. Next year isn't going to be the year where the Cardinals get back to the World Series, so it's a good time for guys like Saggese and Baker to grow into the types of players they're meant to be.