After finishing the 2025 season with a 78-84 record following a 2-0 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the St. Louis Cardinals reflected on another year that fell short of their goals. The team’s manager, Oliver Marmol, compared this season to previous years, noting the similarity in outcomes despite differences in records.
“I went home at the same time both years,” Marmol said after Sunday’s game. He added, “What I told the guys is, ‘We set out in Spring Training to do something, and that was create a style of play that we can be proud of when it comes to not giving in,’ and they stuck to it. There’s a lot of games when they could have. There’s parts of the season when they could have, and they didn’t.
“When it comes to the record, sure, you always want to do better, and I wish we would have been able to do that. But when it comes to the roster and style of play and what we created and what we’re going to build on, I’m proud of our guys today again.”
The atmosphere after the final game was less somber than might be expected from a team missing postseason play for another year. Players prepared for off-season changes as leadership transitions became apparent within the organization. Chaim Bloom was present as he prepared to assume his role as president of baseball operations while John Mozeliak’s future with the club remains uncertain.
The team expects significant changes during the offseason, including possible trades involving prominent players and adjustments within management.
Pitcher Kyle Leahy emerged as a key contributor over the course of the season. Initially considered unlikely even to make the team out of spring training, Leahy became an important part of both bullpen and rotation plans moving forward.
“I’m excited,” Leahy acknowledged. “I’ve said this my whole career, though. I’m gonna take the ball whenever they call my name and do the best that I can. So if that’s in the first inning, I’ll do that. If that’s later in the game, I’ll do that, too.”
Leahy finished his season with three scoreless innings against Chicago for a total of 88 innings pitched and a 3.07 ERA. His 85 innings out of the bullpen were more than any other Cardinal since Manny Aybar in 1999.
As veterans like Miles Mikolas approach free agency and Sonny Gray explores trade options, contributions from Leahy along with Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy are expected to form part of next year’s pitching staff core. Several top pitching prospects missed time due to injury or surgery this year; only Sem Robberse may be available for meaningful innings next season.
Marmol commented on evaluating talent during challenging seasons: “When you look at the body of work for a lot of these guys, the opportunity was definitely there, and we feel really good about where it’s headed,” he said. “We have a decent amount of clarity on the majority of guys, and [we have] guys you wish you had more clarity on. But at the end of the day, we feel good about where it’s headed.”
Despite five fewer wins compared to last year’s record (83-79), Marmol believes his team enters this offseason in better shape than before but acknowledged work remains: “The work to stay longer at the dance is already underway.”
