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I see about 4-10.

But more importantly the next 176 games will most likely be one of the worst stretches of Cardinals baseball many people here have ever seen.

The new front office is already telegraphing the plans. The Buster Olney story about Marmol sticking around didn’t come out of the blue.

This rebuild isn’t going to be typical of the cardinal way, it’s a total strip down, low (bottom 10%) payroll, revolving door of players we have never heard of while we try to find 2-3 to build around.

After all is said and done, I’m not sure any single player on the roster right now ever sees a playoff game for the St Louis Cardinals. Do the math, it ain’t mathin’…..

Im beginning to believe this.

Baseball Dude wrote: ↑12 Sep 2025 23:52 pm I see about 4-10.

But more importantly the next 176 games will most likely be one of the worst stretches of Cardinals baseball many people here have ever seen.

The new front office is already telegraphing the plans. The Buster Olney story about Marmol sticking around didn’t come out of the blue.

This rebuild isn’t going to be typical of the cardinal way, it’s a total strip down, low (bottom 10%) payroll, revolving door of players we have never heard of while we try to find 2-3 to build around.

After all is said and done, I’m not sure any single player on the roster right now ever sees a playoff game for the St Louis Cardinals. Do the math, it ain’t mathin’…..

Probably true but definitely necessary. Bloom has to strip down what mo has destroyed and rebuild it I’m glad for it. No more of mos not trying to win just hoping to win and trying to rebuild while not actually rebuilding just rebuild so you can win

I pretty much agree with you all. This is going to take some time/years. They have to develop some serious starting pitching and that takes time. Dewitt will never spend the type of money it takes to get the caliber of starting pitching it takes to win a pennant or world series. A pitcher like Gray is about his price range and to be real, Sonny is a good number 3 on a contending team. He's a number one here because we are a .500 team. We don't have a serious 3-4 hitters, and no leadoff hitter. Our defense is just average.

Going a year or two just to get this trainwreck turned around and a couple of more after that to get back to winning 90 games a year.

Again, it took teams like the Astros, Braves, Phillies, etc. 4, 5, or 6 years to rebuild their organizations for sustainable success. It takes time and patience.

I understand a lot of fans are just mad. But it does no good. There's a way and an opportunity to turn the Cardinals back into a competitive team that has a legitimate chance at winning a championship. We are never going to spend our way back to the top. So this is the alternative. I think we can count 2025 as the first year of the rebuild. Bloom has been working behind the scenes rebuilding the infrastructure and development system. There's been a lot of change that you don't see at the major league level. Mo has not been allowed to make any moves that would be detrimental to the rebuild.

The CBA expires after the 2026 season. I see it as being disruptive to the rebuild but only at the ML level. Prospects who would be getting called up will continue to play in MILB. I believe '27 is the last year for the Gray and Contreras contracts assuming they are not traded.
So 28' is the first season we can expect to see a roster entirely constructed by Bloom. And I wouldn't expect them to be a serious contender at that time. If everything goes well I expect 2029 to be a season we are ready to spend again to put in the final pieces for a championship caliber team.
To me this timeline is just reality. There's no indication that current ownership is willing to do it any other way.

You guys are assuming a lot. What makes you think BDW will ever spend again to make the team successful? He may be following the Pirates model and just milking this thing. I can see a bottom 10 payroll and unless we are really lucky, we might just be the new Pirates or Cinncinnati or Miami. It takes a lot of skill and money, and right now we have none of the above. Bill’s allegiance to Mo might have set this franchise back to a point it’s never been before. If Bloom doesn’t do great things, this franchise might just be at an ALL TIME low. Think 1.5M in attendance and nobody wants to come play here.

CrownRoyalCaramel wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 06:18 am You guys are assuming a lot. What makes you think BDW will ever spend again to make the team successful? He may be following the Pirates model and just milking this thing. I can see a bottom 10 payroll and unless we are really lucky, we might just be the new Pirates or Cinncinnati or Miami. It takes a lot of skill and money, and right now we have none of the above. Bill’s allegiance to Mo might have set this franchise back to a point it’s never been before. If Bloom doesn’t do great things, this franchise might just be at an ALL TIME low. Think 1.5M in attendance and nobody wants to come play here.

No one can ever know the future for certain.

But successful organizations - Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, etc. - have taken this course over the last 10-15 years and come out of it as perennial contenders. And the Cardinals, who probably have somewhat less resources to spend than those clubs, don't have a better strategic pathway open to them to becoming perennial contenders again.

So try what has been shown COULD work rather that keep doing what WON'T work.

Until proven otherwise, however, I'll assume that at some point in the future ownership intends to return spending to a sustainable level - whether that is $170 million, $180 million, or whatever based on revenue sharing, the CBA, media rights deals, etc.

Baseball Dude wrote: ↑12 Sep 2025 23:52 pm I see about 4-10.

But more importantly the next 176 games will most likely be one of the worst stretches of Cardinals baseball many people here have ever seen.

The new front office is already telegraphing the plans. The Buster Olney story about Marmol sticking around didn’t come out of the blue.

This rebuild isn’t going to be typical of the cardinal way, it’s a total strip down, low (bottom 10%) payroll, revolving door of players we have never heard of while we try to find 2-3 to build around.

After all is said and done, I’m not sure any single player on the roster right now ever sees a playoff game for the St Louis Cardinals. Do the math, it ain’t mathin’…..

Some think that Bloom will give Oli Marmol a one-year 'trial run' with Bloom's new roster for 2026. See what Marmol does with a new cast of young guys. Then after 2026 Bloom will decide if he wants to move forward with a new manager or stick with Marmol. Other speculation is that Randy Flores will not be retained . His contract expires at end of this year.

The sad part is this team probably needs two above average pitchers… And a stud bat and they’re probably going to be a playoff team…… Ownership is too stupid and the media and Homer fans will give them a free pass… When this doesn’t happen

I know I'm going to sound like a Boomer, but with the recent reminder of how special the 1985 team was compared with this current collection of high-K/m'eh players (I'm looking at you Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman), I can see this is going to be a time when my Cardinals' passion begins to dwindle to the near-zero range just like it did during the Herzog-LaRussa interregnum when Greg Jeffries was carrying the team...

We're in the time machine and have gone back to the 1970's.

Mediocre-Average team, terrible crowds and on ownership that stopped caring after ABJr died.

rockondlouie wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 08:14 am We're in the time machine and have gone back to the 1970's.

Mediocre-Average team, terrible crowds and on ownership that stopped caring after ABJr died.

At least we had Simmons to enjoy.

lidstrom5 wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 08:59 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 08:14 am We're in the time machine and have gone back to the 1970's.

Mediocre-Average team, terrible crowds and on ownership that stopped caring after ABJr died.

At least we had Simmons to enjoy.

Gibby
Brock
Simba
Torre

Four Hall of Famers, this team has none.

calexander16 wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 08:08 am I know I'm going to sound like a Boomer, but with the recent reminder of how special the 1985 team was compared with this current collection of high-K/m'eh players (I'm looking at you Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman), I can see this is going to be a time when my Cardinals' passion begins to dwindle to the near-zero range just like it did during the Herzog-LaRussa interregnum when Greg Jeffries was carrying the team...

2006 and 2011 weren't special? but a WS losing 1985 team is?

Ozziesfan41 wrote: ↑13 Sep 2025 00:40 am

Baseball Dude wrote: ↑12 Sep 2025 23:52 pm I see about 4-10.

But more importantly the next 176 games will most likely be one of the worst stretches of Cardinals baseball many people here have ever seen.

The new front office is already telegraphing the plans. The Buster Olney story about Marmol sticking around didn’t come out of the blue.

This rebuild isn’t going to be typical of the cardinal way, it’s a total strip down, low (bottom 10%) payroll, revolving door of players we have never heard of while we try to find 2-3 to build around.

After all is said and done, I’m not sure any single player on the roster right now ever sees a playoff game for the St Louis Cardinals. Do the math, it ain’t mathin’…..

Probably true but definitely necessary. Bloom has to strip down what mo has destroyed and rebuild it I’m glad for it. No more of mos not trying to win just hoping to win and trying to rebuild while not actually rebuilding just rebuild so you can win

^^^^^THIS^^^^^