ST. LOUIS\u2014After an offseason of change that saw the St. Louis Cardinals officially enter the Chaim Bloom era as team\u2019s President of Baseball Operations and accelerate a process to trade away veterans who were not going to be here when the franchise expects to enter a window where it can compete at a championship level annually, it\u2019s time to see what that will mean on the field in 2026.<\/p>\n
Bloom and Manager Oli Marmol have consistently said this year\u2019s team will still aim to compete daily\u2013put in a hard nine, while acknowledging that this year\u2019s standings will take a backseat to development at the major league level. Even if the trades of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan seemed to make it a foregone conclusion that top prospect JJ Wetherholt would be on the opening day roster, the team made clear he earned his way here to start the season at second base and hitting leadoff. <\/p>\n
Admittedly, it\u2019s hard to measure fan buy-in on opening day, especially in a place like St. Louis that prides itself on doing the pageantry better than any other team in baseball if not all of pro sports. <\/p>\n
The team has taken steps on the business side of the offseason to entice fans even if the on-field product isn\u2019t championship caliber. Think more \u201call you can eat seats\u201d and a free kid\u2019s club option. <\/p>\n
Bloom was asked Thursday if fans believe what the team\u2019s been selling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope so. That’s the feeling I’ve gotten just being around St. Louis. I think, again, these are really smart fans. I don’t think you do yourself a service by trying to think that you can fool them or pull the wool over their eyes. They know. So just be honest with them. Be as direct as you can about what you’re trying to accomplish,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mathtew Liberatore, the opening day starter, said Wednesday the outside may think of this as a rebuild but the players don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that’s really exciting and will allow us to hit the ground running, whether you want to call it a rebuild or not,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of the guys in this club have played together for more than just this year. We’ve come up through the minor leagues together. We’ve seen each other have success.<\/p>\n
We’ve seen each other fail. And I think that that unites us in a way that it wouldn’t be if you just had a bunch of free agents here who have never played together. So I really do think that our bond is gonna be our strength this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside Busch Stadium, there were fans who were anxious, cautious and yet still hopeful for what\u2019s to come. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s going to be very rough. It’s going to be a very big struggle,\u201d said Karen Boschert, who has run a hot dog stand at 8th and Walnut for 27 years on game days. You know, the fans got to be positive. I think we’re still rebuilding,\u201d she said, adding that she hoped the state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department would also make a difference when it comes to crime, an issue that has nothing to do with the team\u2019s performance but has led some fans to decide not to come to games in recent years. It’ll start to get better.<\/p>\n
Jennie Ople made the 3.5 hour drive from Manila, Ar. for the game with a friend. She said she\u2019s anxiously waiting to see what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d she said of a front office that would appear open for business at this year\u2019s trade deadline, with the potential to move veterans like reliever JoJo Romero or starter Dustin May.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what manager Oli Marmol said fans should watch out for this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it’ll be obvious from an energy standpoint from just the way we respect the game and play hard all night. I think the everyday casual fan will be able to tell that it’s headed in the right direction when it comes to style of play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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