The St. Louis Cardinals are in a “reset” year. They let former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt walk, didn’t make any major free-agent signings, and tried all offseason to trade eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado to no avail. Here are the top five questions facing the Cardinals heading into the 2025 season.
Will Nolan Arenado remain a Cardinal?
Arenado wants to play for a contender and St. Louis is looking to move the remaining three years and $74 million of his contract. The Cardinals thought they had a deal with the Houston Astros but Arenado used his no-trade clause to nix the deal, despite the playoff team being on his list of approved teams.
No other teams seemed interested in Arenado’s services, but things could change come the trade deadline. For right now, it appears Arenado will be staying in St. Louis for 2025.
Related: Latest MLB rumors shed light on Nolan Arenado’s future with the St. Louis Cardinals
How will Willson Contreras adapt to first base?
With the Cardinals saying goodbye to Goldschmidt, Willson Contreras will now be moving from catcher to first base. He’s only played 11 games at first base in his nine-year career, but St. Louis is looking to keep him healthy as he was limited to 84 games in 2024 with a broken arm after getting hit by a swing from New York Mets’ J.D. Martinez.
Contreras has hit 152 career home runs with an .814 OPS and 117 OPS+, so the Cardinals are hoping to keep his bat productive without the grind behind the plate.
Related: MLB mock draft 2025, see who the St. Louis Cardinals pick
Who will be Cardinals’ primary catcher?
Since Contreras is now the full-time first baseman, the Cardinals have to decide who their primary catcher will be: Ivan Herrera (pictured) or Pedro Pages.
Herrera is the superior hitter (.800 OPS/124 OPS+ compared to .657 OPS/82 OPS+), but Pages is considered better defensively. When Contreras was out last year, Pages started 66 games behind the plate compared to Herrera’s 52. However, it would be hard to leave Herrera’s bat out of the lineup on a consistent basis.
Related: St. Louis Cardinals ‘open’ to trading another starter before Opening Day
Is this Jordan Walker’s last chance?
Jordan Walker was once a much-ballyhooed prospect for the Cardinals, but it almost seems like it’s a make-or-break season for the 22-year-old. Walker showed promise as a rookie in 2023, hitting 16 home runs, with a .787 OPS and 113 OPS+ in 117 games, but he did strike out 22.4% of the time.
However, he severely regressed last year, hitting five home runs in 51 games, with a .619 OPS, 71 OPS+, and striking out in 28.1% of his plate appearances. The Cardinals have a crowded outfield and Walker will need a good spring training to breakthrough and make the Opening Day roster. If not, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Walker get a fresh start elsewhere.
Related: Latest on Nolan Arenado trade talks between St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros
Will young pitchers crack Cardinals rotation?
The Cardinals’ projected starting rotation for 2025 is Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante, and Steven Matz. With it being a reset year for St. Louis, it would be wise to give young pitchers like Tink Hence (pictured), Cooper Hjerpe, and Quinn Mathews a chance to find their footing since they are the future.
How the Cardinals handle their pitching prospects could be the most telling sign of how committed they truly are to this reset strategy.
