With the Cardinals facing their first full-on rebuild in decades, fans understandably have questions about what’s to come in the short- and long-term future for the franchise. Here is a lightly edited question-and-answer session MLB.com’s John Denton conducted on Reddit with fans at r/Cardinals on Friday. The full AMA can be read here.
Q: How has the organization decided to spend money at the lower levels and how will that help them identify and develop real talent? -- Jawsinstl
Denton: While he worked as an advisor for two seasons prior to taking over as president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom went through a thorough evaluation of the Minor League system and recommended a complete overhaul. He has helped get the Cardinals up to speed with talent evaluation and development by making several significant personnel additions in the past year.
Here are some of his major hires: Jacob Buffa, senior director of international scouting; Joe Douglas, director of pro acquisition; Rob Cerfolio, assistant general manager, player development & performance; Larry Day, director of player development; Matt Pierpont, director of pitching; Matt Bayer, senior director of baseball development; and Kevin Seats, senior director of analytics.
Cerfolio, who played a major role in the success of the Guardians prior to arriving in St. Louis, has a bright future as a GM or president of baseball operations. Minor League players rave about regular communications they have had with Day. As for Buffa, a native of Chesterfield, Mo., I wrote about his triumphant return to his Cardinals roots.
Q: Are the Cardinals finally going to commit to the youth revolution this year and get rid of most of the dead-weight vets? -- a_happy_future
Denton: I still remember former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak telling me just after the Cards had clinched the 2022 NL Central crown, "We aren't allowed to rebuild in St. Louis, and that's how we like it." The Cardinals always prided themselves on being over .500 and in playoff contention every year. However, the decisions to not rebuild fully in '23 and '24 are hitting them hard now.
I think that full commitment to the young players -- and a full-on rebuild -- will finally take shape in 2026. The trade markets for Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and even Nolan Arenado should be strong, and Bloom is aware that the franchise needs to move on from many of the veterans on the team to shift the focus onto the young players thought to be the future of the franchise.
Q: Our starting rotation is obviously an issue. What can we do to fix? Is there a world where we trade for a top-of-the-rotation pitcher? -- Nurlitik
Denton: Pitching is the top issue/priority for about 28 MLB teams. (The Mariners and Dodgers might be the only teams not in need of it.) The problem, of course, is that demand greatly exceeds supply, making pitching coveted and costly.
Matthew Liberatore will be better in 2026 after a full season as a starter. Michael McGreevy is a winner, and he will find a way to succeed even if his stuff isn't the greatest. And the Cardinals really need a strong bounce-back year from Andre Pallante, who could be pitching for his career this spring. Also, Kyle Leahy could be the revelation of '26 with his aptitude and his six-pitch arsenal.
Quinn Mathews could push to join the starting rotation as well. What hurts the Cards is that Tekoah Roby, Tink Hence and Cooper Hjerpe all suffered elbow/shoulder injuries in 2025 -- something that severely hampers organizational depth. That's why signing and/or trading for multiple starters is of the utmost importance.
However, don't hold your breath on the club adding a top-line No. 1 pitcher. The Cards are not in position to compete for a World Series crown yet, and they won't be committing that kind of money to a free-agent ace until they are -- if ever.
Q: I keep hearing assumptions that Victor Scott II is the center fielder for this year. Any chance Nathan Church gets to compete for the spot? -- No-Elephant-9854
Denton: The Cards thought enough of Church to promote him in August and give him plenty of looks in the outfield.
But make no mistake about it: Victor Scott II is this team's future in center field. He was a Gold Glove finalist in his first full season and his speed is game-changing. He stole 34 bases in 38 attempts, and he told me this week that he expects to "double that" in the future as he works to become a better hitter..
Scott had a lengthy Zoom meeting with hitting coach Brant Brown and assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen in October, and he's taken their advice and put it to work during vigorous workouts that he is doing four days a week in Atlanta.