After a 78-win season in 2025, the Cardinals moved off a lot of money and a lot of notable players off the roster. Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan are all gone. And in their place are new arms who will look to be future rotation building blocks for the Cards.<\/p>\n
Additions<\/p>\n
Despite a trio of significant trades that saw three very familiar names come off the roster, the Cardinals didn\u2019t add much in terms of veterans. What the Cardinals did add was plenty of young pitching.<\/p>\n
It started in November when St. Louis, now led by Chaim Bloom, shipped<\/a> off the 2025 ace to Bloom\u2019s old team, the Red Sox. The move netted the Cardinals two pitchers, most notably Richard Fitts.<\/p>\n Fitts, who did not make the team<\/a> out of camp, does have the potential to be a valuable pitcher for the Cardinals. He may very well be a back-end starter in the long-term \u2014 but a good back-end starter. Mid-90s fastball with cut, a slider, and a sweeper, as well as a curveball. Fitts ditched his splitter and opted to go with a changeup, an offering he didn\u2019t use much in 2025.<\/p>\n St. Louis also added a high-upside arm in Brandon Clarke<\/a>, who comes into 2026 with significant helium.<\/p>\n Additionally, the Cardinals added<\/a> another high-ceiling pitcher, Yhoiker Fajardo<\/a>, along with Hunter Dobbins in a separate trade in late December.<\/p>\n Moving to free agency, the Cardinals took a flier<\/a> on former Dodger Dustin May, who had a difficult all-around year. May couldn\u2019t avoid the home run ball last year at all.<\/p>\n Ryne Stanek, a veteran reliever and Missouri native, signed<\/a> with the Cards in free agency.<\/p>\n Losses<\/p>\n Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray are both Red Sox, thanks to offseason trades that pushed St. Louis into the next phase of the rebuild. And the trades didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n After over a year of trade rumors, Nolan Arenado found a new home. St. Louis traded<\/a> the former All-Star to the Diamondbacks in what was a salary dump deal. The move ended Arenado\u2019s complicated tenure as a Cardinal, one that saw his offensive production dip year after year since he nearly won the NL MVP in 2022.<\/p>\n Brendan Donovan, one of the Cardinals\u2019 most valuable & versatile players over the last four seasons, was traded<\/a> to Seattle in February. That trade netted the Cardinals two former first-round picks: outfielder Tai Peete and pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje.<\/p>\n Miles Mikolas, another stalwart of the team over the last few years, signed with the Nationals over the winter.<\/p>\n Overview<\/p>\n To move the proverbial ball forward for the Cardinals, it will be up to the young players currently on the roster (i.e., Masyn Winn<\/a>, Alec Burleson<\/a>, Matt Svanson<\/a>), plus the prospects on the rise.<\/p>\n St. Louis fans could get a look at JJ Wetherholt<\/a> soon. Joshua Baez<\/a>, a talented hitter who had a great 2025 in Double-A, is another potential building block. And don\u2019t forget about Liam Doyle<\/a>, who may be in St. Louis sooner than you think.<\/p>\n This won\u2019t be an easy year for the Cardinals. Success will be determined more by whether the youngsters on this team improve and grow.<\/p>\n Check out more of our MLB<\/a> coverage.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading\u2026<\/p>\n