As we witness the end of the Mozeliak era and the dawn of the Age of Bloom, I want answers about 2025. I want to know where it all went wrong. And, as I drove to meet the Great Danny Mac for coffee last week at the amazing MAC West it hit me like a Bob Gibson fastball to the ribs.
This was the Cardinals’ problem:
They had a catcher playing first base. They had a catcher playing leftfield and catching and DH-ing. Plus they had a catcher catching and a back-up catcher.
They had a first baseman playing right field. A third baseman playing right field. A third baseman playing second base. A second baseman playing second base, some outfield, and occasionally shortstop. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Victor Scott II was penciled in at catcher at some point. Abbott and Costello could think of nothing more wonky.
Plus they had statistically the worst starting 5 of this century. Not a single starter had an ERA under 4.21. The last time this happened? 2006 was rough with only Carp doing better, but that season ended pretty good. 1999? Only Bottenfield with a 3.97 ERA was better. You have to go back to 1995 to find a rotation that was worse. No Cardinal that made more than 20 starts in 1995 had an ERA under 4.00. And no Cardinal made more starts than the team’s “Ace” Mark Petkovsek, who finished that season with 26 games, 21 starts, and a 4.00 ERA for a record of 6-6 for the 62-81 Cardinals. That was 30 years ago. That’s how bad it got. (Don’t even look at 1994 if you want to sleep tonight.)
Let’s go to the report card!
Manager, Oli Marmol: B
How he had this squad playing meaningful baseball games into the last half of September is beyond comprehension. See paragraph two-three of this article. Give this guy a league average or better roster and you make the playoffs. Full Stop.
First base, Willson Contreras: B
He led the team in homers, RBIs, was third in OPS, third in hits and second in WAR. The issue? 20 home runs and 80 RBIs would not lead a playoff team. He had a career high in RBIs and hits and was the emotional leader of this squad. I’m glad he wants back in 2026.
Second base, Brendan Donovan: B
The greatest ability in sports as they say is availability. His inability to stay on the field cost him an A here. After 153 games last season he was limited to 118 in 2025 and his absence was glaring. Despite going 59-59 when he played, if he plays another 35 games my gut tells me this team finishes with 5-7 more wins than the 78 they put up. And that my friends, puts them in the playoffs. He did make his first of hopefully multiple All-Star games and will be a key part of 2026-2029 if the Cardinals plan on contending.
Shortstop, Masyn Winn: B+
Offensively he didn’t make the leap expected this year, but defensively? WOW. In 501 chances at short he committed only three errors. That’s a .994 fielding percentage. The highest fielding percentage of Ozzie Smith’s career was .987. Is he as good as Ozzie? NO. But he could get there. His issue was the same as Donovan’s- missed time on the IL. In the 129 games he was able to play the team went 67-62. Five games over .500 over the entire season and your Redbirds would be playing October baseball in 2025.
Third base, the Nolans: C-
There isn’t enough sugar in all of Crown Candy to coat the play at the hot corner this season. Arenado and Gorman had some flashes, but flashes do not a season make. Arenado had the worst season of his hall-of-fame career at the plate, though he was the second best defensive third baseman in the NL this season.
Then, for the second year in a row Nolan Gorman regressed. After an awesome 2023 that saw him hit 27 home runs and drive in 76 with an .805 OPS, he ended 2025 with a .666 OPS and only 14 home runs, 46 batted in, and a .205 batting average. Plus, when he played, the Cardinals went 50-61, eleven games under .500
Catcher?
I really don’t know how to grade each one of these guys. In all I’d give them a C+ I suppose. The shuttle between Memphis, St. Louis, and the IL earned enough frequent flyer miles to get Todd Zeile and Tom Pagnozzi to the moon and back for free. That sort of movement does not allow anyone to get in a groove or feel secure. My question; Who is the Cardinals’ catcher of the future? A question I have asked every day since Yadi hung ‘em up after 2022. Pozo, Pages, Crooks? Or would you like to try mystery door number 4?
*Weeps, “Number 4.”
Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Yohel Pozo (R) and right fielder Jordan Walker (L) look to the field from the dugout after a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Outfield: C-
The enigma, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a puzzle, inside a game of Clue that is Jordan Walker leaves me with more questions than the final season of West World. Everything physically is there for him, I hope he puts it together in a Cardinals uniform.
VSII may win a Gold Glove in Center, and he finished 6th in the NL with 34 steals, but the bat did not come alive. He closed with a .216 average and a .601 OPS. Speed doesn’t kill if it’s walking back to the dugout four out of every five at bats.
Alec Burleson gets a B+ for this season as the best all-around hitter on the squad. His .290 average was good for 5th in the National League, and he was 2nd on the club in homers, RBIs and OPS. Give him a position and let him stay there for 162.
DH, Ivan Herrera: A-
Injuries limited Ivan the Impaler to only 107 games this year, but to quote the great Ken Wilson, “OHHH BABY!!!” what a 107 that was. He ended with 19 home runs, 66 batted in and an OPS of .837. He plays 150 games and those numbers are up around 25 and 90, that’s Matt Holliday territory. In 24 games in September he hit .276 with 8 home runs, 16 RBIs and an OPS of .969. That’s how you finish.
The Rotation: F
Sonny Gray: C+
Sonny had a far better season than you think. His 14 wins were tied for 4th in the NL, his 201 Ks were 7th in the NL, and his 4.28 ERA was 15th in the NL. His ERA was up .44 over last season, but as I wrote about earlier this summer, he was an Ace in the way that mattered. When he pitched this team went 21-11. For a team that finished 6 games under .500, that stat is incredible.
Matthew Liberatore: C+
Libby had the lowest ERA in the rotation at 4.21 and showed flashes of true Ace potential in his first honest run as a starter. He will be 26 on opening day, entering his physical prime as an athlete. We can reasonably expect him to be able to perform at a peak until 2032. Whether or not that is an All-Star peak? An Ace peak? A Cy Young peak? That is to be determined.
Michael McGreevy: C-
We were quick to crown M2 as the savior of the rotation. He looked great some days on the bump, but in five or six of his starts he looked like everyone else at the end of this rotation. He will be 25 when the season starts and has had a solid half of a season to begin to learn the league and how to compete at the big league level. Can he get that 4.42 ERA down around 3.70 next season?
Miles Mikolas: D
Someone asked on Twitter this weekend how I will remember Miles Mikolas. I said as a person that did millions of dollars of charity work while taking zero credit. He is the definition of a good man. His performance the past few years has not been up to his standards. This season he did have 18 starts where he allowed two earned runs or fewer and gave this squad a chance to win. The issue was the other 13 starts when he got lit up like the 4th of July. His September was great, minus his season ender. I’d love to see him in a uniform somewhere next season, but his time in the STL rotation needs to come to an end.
Andre Pallante: F
Pallante’s regression this year was alarming. At the end of June he was 5-4 with a 4.43 ERA, which was not great, but the team had a chance to win almost every time he pitched. From July to the end of September he went 1-11 with a 6.33 ERA. Those are slow-pitch softball numbers. He is arbitration eligible in 2026 and can be a free-agent in 2029. Is he even on this team or in the rotation next year? If you’re going young and want to see what you have, 4 seasons of Pallante is enough sample size upon which to make a decision.
Erick Fedde: F-
How he threw a shutout this year is insane. We shipped him to Atlanta and he ended up in Milwaukee and is now on a World Series contender. God speed Mr. Fedde.
So that’s a wrap on 2025! Bloom is promising “purpose and urgency,” and wants to field a team every year to compete for a World Series championship. For him, the fans, the players, and every business downtown that relies on crowds to keep their bills paid, I hope he does just that.
-Will Saulsbery
Born and raised in St. Louis, Will Saulsbery is a multitalented writer and musician. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Saulsbery has established himself as a prominent ghostwriter, with his work appearing in top-tier publications like Forbes, Fast Company, Tech Crunch, Entrepreneur, The Observer, and The Hill. His collection of short stories, Death in the Midwest, A Collection Of Nine Stories Of Death In The Midwestern United States... And One In London, is now available for sale and download.
