By Rob Rains
Trying to complete our annual New Year’s Day look at who figure to be the 10 most interesting Cardinals to watch in the coming year is a little more complicated than usual as 2025 begins.
It’s hard to make the list without knowing who is going to be on the team.
The status of third baseman Nolan Arenado has clouded the roster ever since John Mozeliak confirmed he was trying to trade Arenado as the Cardinals looked to go through a “re-set” this season.
Arenado exercised the no-trade clause in his contract to block a potential deal to the Astros, and now the Cardinals hope they can find a deal that Arenado will approve – and open a key spot on the roster.
Partially because of the logjam with Arenado, the “re-set” plan likely is not as far along as the Cardinals had hoped just six weeks away from the start of spring training. As of now, not including Arenado, a projected 26-man roster would include 23 players who finished 2024 in a Cardinals uniform.
Several of those returning players make this list – with the 2025 season perhaps being a “make or break” year for some of them.
In alphabetical order, here is our list of the 10 most interesting Cardinals to watch in 2025 – a list that would expand to 11 if Arenado still finds himself putting on a Cardinals uniform in February in Jupiter, Fla. How these 10 players perform will go a long way to determining what kind of year this will be for the team and if it truly will be a “re-set” season.
Chaim Bloom – A year before he officially takes over for Mozeliak as the Cardinals president of baseball operations, Bloom already is putting his stamp on the organization through his efforts to improve the team’s player development system. He also figures to be involved in personnel decisions for the major-league team, especially concerning players who likely will still be on the team in 2026 and beyond. How influential Bloom can be in those decisions without actually being in charge will be something to watch.
Brant Brown – The Cardinals are hoping that hiring Brown as the new hitting coach will help the team improve many of its offensive woes from 2024. The biggest problem was a lack of production with runners in scoring position, which can be a difficult challenge for a coach. Brown already has traveled to visit with many of the team’s young hitters, beginning his work early with the players who need to perform better for the team’s overall results to be better this season.
Willson Contreras – He was one of the players with a no-trade clause the Cardinals asked about their desire to be a part of the “re-set” plan, and Contreras was the most vocal about wanting to stay. The team wants him to play first base on a semi-regular basis in 2025, believing it will help him stay healthy and keep his bat in the lineup on a more consistent basis. Contreras’ toughest challenge might be on defense, trying to replace Paul Goldschmidt, who annually prevented a lot of throwing errors from the team’s other infielders.
Nolan Gorman – His future is the most affected by the indecision with Arenado. If Arenado is somewhere else, Gorman projects to be the starting third baseman. If Arenado is still here, then Gorman will be back at second base – and influence what happens with both Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese. Gorman is one of the players heading into a pivotal year, no matter which position he is playing. He needs to get at least 500 at-bats, and he needs to prove that he won’t strike out half the time while still hitting 30 or more home runs.
Ryan Helsley – As is true with Arenado, many people espected Helsley would be on another team by now but he is still here. His presence on the Cardinals is invaluable, coming off a record-setting 49 saves, but if the team does truly want to “re-set” moving Helsley with a year left before he becomes a free agent would likely maximize the best possible return. If he is still a Cardinal when the season begins, the team has to hope Helsley remains healthy so there is a chance they could move him at the trading deadline because there would seem to be very little chance the Cardinals would be able to retain him once he becomes a free agent next winter.
Tink Hence – One of the top two pitching prospects in the organization, it’s likely that Hence will begin the year in Triple A – but he needs to be in St. Louis at some point during the season. The challenge for the Cardinals is trying to make moves with some of their veteran starters which will open a spot for Hence in the rotation, with that complicated by Miles Mikolas’s no trade clause and Steven Matz’s injury history. The good news is if the Cardinals can’t trade them, this will be the last year in St. Louis for both and perhaps Erick Fedde, also set to be a free agent after this season.
Quinn Mathews – Right next to Hence as the top pitching prospect in the organization is the left-handed Mathews, who shot through four levels of the farm system in 2024 in his first professional season. Like Hence he likely will begin ths season in Triple A – unless an unexpected opening or two develop in the rotation – but Mathews should be here before the end of the season. Success from both Hence and Mathews this season would go a long way in the Cardinals planning for who will be in their rotation in 2026 and beyond.
Victor Scott II – An injury to Dylan Carlson made Victor Scott II the Cardinals opening day centerfielder in 2024, an assignment he was not ready for. It began a tough offensive year for Scott, and his struggles kept him from getting a longer look at the major-league level and kept him from showing off his best skill, his ability to steal bases. The Cardinals need to give Scott more consistent playing time this season to see if he can transfer his 94 steals in the minors in 2023 to the majors which would add a valuable element to their offense.
Jordan Walker – Perhaps no one on the Cardinals roster other than Gorman figures to be under more pressure to perform offensively this season than Walker. Like Gorman, former first-round pick Walker has yet to display his potential at the major-league level even though he has shown glimpses of it the last two seasons. For the Cardinals’ “re-set” to truly be successful, Walker has to join Gorman as a major offensive threat in the middle of the lineup – not hitting in the bottom of the order, and not being swapped out of the lineup a day because he went 0-for-4 the previous day.
Masyn Winn – One of the few bright spots for the Cardinals in 2024, Winn established himself not only as a Gold Glove caliber shortstop but also as a solid leadoff hitter. He just needs to build on that performance in 2025, which the Cardinals expect him to do. Winn also has the qualities of becoming one of the team vocal leaders, another area where they struggled last season. His success last year should give the Cardinals reasons to think that given regular playing time, some of their other young players should develop the same way this season.
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