Gordo: Cardinals management could learn from ambitious Blues retooling (2024)

As the Blues aggressively build toward future success, baseball fans wonder if the Cardinals can do the same.

These franchises suffered similar downturns. Both reached the crossroads, and each had to decide where to travel next.

Back in 2022, the Blues were still Stanley Cup contenders. They earned 109 points in the regular season, defeated the Minnesota Wild in the playoffs and took a good run at the Colorado Avalanche until Jordan Binnington got hurt.

In ’22 the Cardinals reigned as National League Central champions. They earned their fourth straight postseason berth with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado performing at MVP levels.

Then, the fortunes of these franchises changed.

The Blues hit the skids during the 2022-23 season, falling from the playoff chase and making bailout trades. General manager Doug Armstrong decided to retool on the fly.

His stated goal was to build around young core forwards Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas while staying competitive along the way. He saw no need to blow up the team and start over, but he didn’t pretend the Blues could still contend for the Cup.

Armstrong kept the long view as he replaced coach Craig Berube with Drew Bannister last season, stood pat at the trade deadline, eschewed big free-aaent spending this summer, anointed Alexander Steen as his heir apparent, locked in Pavel Buchnevich to a long-term deal and revamped the supporting cast.

Whew! The addition of defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway with his stunning offer sheet gambit is just a continuation of this long-view retooling that has full ownership support.

“We had the picks, we had the cap space, we based it into a plan that we have that Mr. (Tom) Stillman and his partners have signed off on of trying to build something sustainable,” Armstrong said.

The Cardinals plunged into the division cellar in 2023 and sold off players with expiring contracts. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak sought near-term pitching depth in return.

Then he sought a quick rebound, Mozeliak delivered on his promise to add starting pitching by signing veterans Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. He upgraded the bullpen, too, but injuries muted the benefit of those moves.

Ahead of this year’s trade deadline, Mozeliak opted not to sell. Instead, he added pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham while trying to keep the team in the chase.

Alas, the Cardinals haven’t rebounded. And with Mozeliak hinting at more management changes to come, this team looks ready for a Blues-style retooling.

Ryan Helsley, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan are pieces to build around. Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker could expand the nucleus by reaching their potential. Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, Victor Scott II, Chase Davis, Jimmy Crooks and JJ Wetherholt are promising too.

But there is much work to do. Armstrong has set a great example by using all means possible, including the NHL’s seldom-successful offer sheet play, to add more young talent.

He targeted the cap-strapped Edmonton Oilers for a raid. Armstrong timed his offer sheets to catch that franchise at a vulnerable point, and the Oilers ultimately decided not to match.

For the low acquisition cost of second- and third-round picks (plus prospect Paul Fischer and a 2028 third-round pick to grease the gears), the Blues got Broberg and Holloway.

Sure, the Blues had to overpay to make this happen. Broberg will get $9.16 million over two years, while Holloway will earn $4.58 million.

That’s about double their actual value. But it’s just money, right?

After paying a draft pick premium to offload Kevin Hayes and his remaining contract, Armstrong made constructive use of the cap space gained.

Broberg, 23, was the eighth overall pick in 2019. He finally broke through this season to get ice time in Edmonton’s playoff run. Now he joins another summer addition, 25-year-old Pierre-Olivier Joseph, to make the Blues younger on defense.

Holloway, who turns 23 next month, was the 14thoverall pick in 2020. He adds speed and skill to the forward lines that also gained Alexandre Texier and Mathieu Joseph this summer.

The Blues have made the most of their recent drafts, adding forwards Zack Bolduc and Dalibor Dvorsky to their near-term mix and forwards Jimmy Snuggerud and Otto Stenberg plus defensem*n Theo Lindstein, Adam Jiricek, Colin Ralph and Lukas Fischer to their long-term blend.

“It reminds me quite honestly of when I came here in 2008 there was a lot of young players here and we had to build a team,” Armstrong said. “Right now with all of those first-round picks, we have a lot of pieces. Now we have to build a puzzle.”

In a few years, the Blues might really have something. Meanwhile, they will feature a competitive product.

The Cardinals could do the same. They have plenty of young talent under team control. They have big contracts coming off their books during the next few years, and there is no salary cap in baseball.

As the Blues did, the Cardinals must devise an ambitious plan for the next several years and then see it through.