"As announced at the beginning of last offseason, longtime president of baseball ops John Mozeliak has stepped aside and passed the torch to former Rays and Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom, who'd previously been a senior advisor with the Cardinals. Bloom's end-of-season press conference spelled out what had already become abundantly clear over the past 12 months: this will be an offseason unlike any the Cardinals have experienced in recent memory"
"For the early portion of last offseason, it seemed quite possible that the Cardinals would embark on the very type of rebuild that now seems far likelier. Instead, no-trade clauses in the contracts of veterans Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras threw a wrench into those plans. Gray and Contreras seemed unfazed by the idea of a youth movement and quickly let the team know they were content to remain in St. Louis."
Chaim Bloom replaced John Mozeliak as the Cardinals' head of baseball operations, marking the first leadership change in nearly two decades and initiating a likely multi-year rebuild. Significant guaranteed payroll includes Nolan Arenado ($42MM through 2027, Rockies paying $5MM), Willson Contreras ($41MM through 2027, includes buyout of 2028 club option) and Sonny Gray ($40MM through 2026, includes buyout of 2027 club option), with $75MM guaranteed in 2026 and $117.5MM total through 2027. Arbitration-eligible depth and non-tender candidates include Alcala and King. No-trade clauses hindered last offseason's reset, but at least one veteran seems likely to be traded this winter as Gray and Contreras weigh options.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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