The St. Louis Cardinals finished off an underwhelming season on Sunday with a win over the San Francisco Giants 6-1.
With a final record of 83 wins and 79 losses, the Cardinals will miss the postseason for the 2nd straight season after making 4 straight before that.
Recent talks have made Major League Baseball fans speculate that the Cardinals will lose some of their star players this offseason.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Cardinals payroll will be reduced in 2025, which puts 3 of their highest-paid players on the trade block.
John Mozeliak confirms that the Cardinals' player payroll will be reduced in 2025, leading to their highest-priced players available in trade talks such as starter Sonny Gray, third baseman Nolan Arenado and catcher Willson Contreras.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 30, 2024
The players mentioned to be on the trade block include starting pitcher Sonny Gray, third basemen Nolan Arenado, and catcher Willson Contreras.
Gray was acquired by the Cardinals this past offseason from the Minnesota Twins, and he had a respectable year in 2024.
He held a record of 13 wins and 9 losses with a 3.84 earned run average and 203 strikeouts in 166.1 innings pitched.
Arenado has been with the Cardinals since 2021 when he came over from the Colorado Rockies.
In 2024, Arenado batted .272 with 16 home runs, 71 runs batted in, and a .719 on-base plus slugging percentage.
The final trade candidate is Contreras who has been with the Cardinals club since coming over from the Chicago Cubs in 2023.
Contreras batted .262 with 15 home runs, 36 runs batted in, and a .848 on-base plus slugging percentage in 2024.
Cardinals fans will not be happy with this news as these 3 big-name players are likely fan favorites in the organization.
It appears the Cardinals are headed for a rebuilding year in 2025, but they will hope to get back to their winning ways as soon as possible.
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