The St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2025 season six games below .500 at 78-84, and as a franchise that's been one of the best in the National League since the 1900s, several losing seasons in a row have not gone over well amongst Cardinal fans.
Attendance records hit an all-time low this season, and the outlook for the next couple of seasons is pretty grim. However, one bright side is that St. Louis is making a transition of power in its front office with Chaim Bloom as the new president of baseball operations.
Cardinals predicted to miss 2026 playoffs as well
The St. Louis Cardinals have not made the MLB playoffs since 2022, and they haven't won a playoff series since 2019.
According to Bleacher Report, 2026 won't break that trend either, as BR puts the Cardinals into the "In a Holding Pattern: Likely No Earlier than 2027" category of teams that did not make the 2025 playoffs. Some of the other teams in that category are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels.
This will be a big offseason for the Cardinals, as it's Chaim Bloom's first chance to get his hands on the roster and potentially make some impactful trades and signings.
There are already rumors swirling around Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Wilson Contreras. It is expected that Arenado will get moved, and if both Gray and Contreras get moved, that might set up the Cardinals' farm system for years to come.
Regardless, St. Louis isn't used to going this long without being in contention, and fans will continue to be restless if the team doesn't turn things around next season as well.
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