It is officially the worst time of the year: the time where there is no baseball being played. The World Series was won for the second year in a row by the team with the biggest checkbook, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now, we turn to another exciting part of the MLB year, the offseason. We can see who will go where, which teams will go all in, and the Cardinals will try new ways to cut costs.

A pivotal part of each offseason is the Winter Meetings, which this year take place from December 7-10 in Orlando. Here, all MLB teams have representatives and many trades as well as signings happen.

The Cardinals are going to be a fun team to watch this winter, if you are not a Cardinals fan. Many favorite players are likely to be departing, as the return will likely not affect the Redbirds until going on 2028.

Recently, the Cardinals traded Sonny Gray, who was their 3^rd highest paid player of all time by average annual value. Gray was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. The Cards also sent $20 million to the Sox to help pay for the $35 million that is owed to Gray.

After this trade, the Redbirds have freed up $15 million that the DeWitts will most likely pocket. Now, we now need to know what Chaim Bloom will do in the coming months before Opening Day.

1. Nolan Arenado gets traded to the Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have been linked with Nolan Arenado since his days in Colorado, and they are in the market for a third baseman. In order for the Cardinals to get much of anything with substance, they would likely need to send money with Arenado like they did with Sonny Gray.

An unlikely but interesting return for the Cards would be Alec Bohm, who the Phillies have long been rumored to be trading. Bohm is owed $10,250,000 for the upcoming season, which could be a cost-controlled option for a year or more.

2. The Cardinals will trade Brendan Donovan

Since he was an All-Star this past summer, Brendan Donovan has been in constant trade rumors. The Cardinals have said things along the lines of “We will listen to offers, but we will not trade him unless we are blown away.”

I think that Chaim Bloom will be blown away by an offer and could even try to get a bidding war going on with many teams. The teams that have been most linked to Donovan are the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cleveland Guardians, the New York Yankees, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

3. The Cardinals DO NOT Trade Lars Nootbaar, yet

Lars Nootbaar has long tried to join his friends from the 2023 World Baseball Classic Team Japan. Now many people are speculating that the Cardinals will make that happen, but in Dodger Blue.

Many people think that this will finally happen because the Dodgers want to improve over Michael Conforto in the outfield. I do think that Nootbaar will be a Dodger come late March, but not until after the Winter Meetings.

4. The Cardinals Sign a World Series Winning Pitcher

There are many pitchers who have won a World Series in their career and are currently free agents, as one of them that is cost-controlled and has high upside is Walker Buehler. Buehler in his career has been a very good pitcher, but injuries and two unsatisfactory years have made his value go way down.

I feel that the Cardinals could get Buehler to the River City on a 1-year deal with a club option for 2027, somewhere in the ballpark of $5 million. This is cheap, high upside, and brings some veteran leadership to the Cardinal clubhouse that is desperately needed.

5. The Cardinals Take a Player in the Rule 5 Draft

The Cardinals have not taken a player in Rule 5 Draft since they took Ryan Fernandez in 2023. I think this is a perfect opportunity for the Cards to get a cheap pitcher that they can get to be their fourth or fifth pitcher in the rotation.

Some players that the Cardinals could get with the 11^th pick would be borderline top 25 prospects in their respective organizations, meaning the Cardinals would get some cheap talent. These players would include the likes of Griff McGarry (Phillies), Will Bednar (Giants), Peyton Pallante (White Sox), and Zach MacCambley (Marlins). All of these players are 24-26 years old, so there is still time for their major league careers to kick off.

Almost nobody knows what the plan is for the Cardinals this offseason. Many have guesses and most will be correct for the most part. No matter what happens, the Cardinals will certainly need to make some moves. It might not be the best offseason as fans see their favorite players leave, but Chaim Bloom will most definitely set this franchise up for success down the road.