With the Cardinals set to miss the playoffs for the third straight year, here are three storylines for fans to watch for as the 2025 season comes to a close.
Cardinals Fans: 3 Things to Watch as The 2025 Season Winds Down originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Barring a miracle, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to miss out on postseason baseball for a third consecutive year. After posting an 8-16 record in July, the Cardinals were sellers at the deadline and have slipped to 6.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
One of baseball's premier franchises, the Cardinals haven't won a playoff series since 2019. With the team's lack of success in recent years, fans have become fed up with the Cardinals' ownership/front office. To showcase their frustrations, the self-proclaimed "best fans in baseball" have stopped showing up. St. Louis is currently ranked 19th in average attendance across the league, by far the lowest ranking in Busch Stadium III history.
Plenty of Cardinals fans will understandably be tuned out for the remaining 51 games, but for the ones who plan on sticking it out, here are three things to watch for as the 2025 season comes to a close:
1. Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker Get Their Runway
Coming into 2025, the plan for the Cardinals was to give Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker some "runway" while still trying to compete. That "runway" became limited, though, as both Walker and Gorman were struggling at the plate, and the Cardinals had found themselves right in the mix for a playoff spot, in large part due to going 19-8 in May. Now that postseason hopes have pretty much vanished and Nolan Arenado is out for at least a couple weeks, the 25-year-old Gorman and 23-year-old Walker have as good an opportunity as ever to showcase what they can do.
Walker has cooled off a bit since coming out of the All-Star break scorching hot. After posting an .808 OPS in 13 games in July, Walker is slashing .227/.286/.606 on the season.
With Arenado out, Gorman is now the team's everyday third baseman. After suffering another back injury, Gorman is just returning from the 10-day IL. In 67 games in 2025, Gorman is slashing .221/.310/.407 with nine home runs.
2. Relievers Competing for 2026 Roster Spot
The Cardinals traded three of their best relievers at the deadline, all of whom will be free agents at the end of 2025. With their departures, Roddery Muñoz, Andre Granillo, and Ryan Fernandez were all recalled from Triple-A Memphis. As of right now, it's anybody's guess as to what the Cardinals' bullpen will look like come Opening Day of 2026. JoJo Romero, Matt Svanson, and Riley O'Brien seem to be pretty surefire options, but the other five spots may very well be up for grabs.
After sending Ryan Helsley to the Mets, the Cardinals will also be in search of their next closer. Manager Oli Marmol said the team will go closer by committee for the time being. While Helsley has expressed interest in a possible reunion with St. Louis after the season, guys like Romero and O'Brien will have a chance to secure the closer role for themselves in these final two months.
3. September Call-Ups
On September 1st, MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. For teams in situations like the Cardinals, this can be used as an opportunity to give prospects their first taste of big-league experience while allowing them to maintain rookie eligibility for the following season.
In 2023, the Cardinals were in a similar situation to the one are in now. With no playoff aspirations, they called up shortstop Masyn Winn in late August. Winn struggled mightily in 37 games in 2023, hitting just .172 with a .468 OPS. The move paid off, though, as Winn had a stellar rookie campaign in 2024 and now appears to have cemented himself as the Cardinals' shortstop of the future.
The Cardinals have several players who have made their case for a late-season call-up. After top prospect JJ Wetherholt and top pitching prospect Quinn Matthews, some names of guys who have been tearing it up at Triple-A include outfielder Nathan Church, catcher Jimmy Crooks, and newly acquired corner infielder Blaze Jordan.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
