Central STL News

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to end their three-year playoff drought by drawing inspiration from the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays, who reached the World Series after a dramatic turnaround season.

The Cardinals have missed the postseason for three consecutive years, an unusual stretch for the franchise. Historically, St. Louis has rebounded strongly after similar periods, reaching the National League Championship Series or winning the World Series following previous playoff absences.

One suggested strategy is to accelerate the promotion of top prospects. The Blue Jays benefited from quickly advancing Trey Yesavage, who debuted in Single-A and ended up pitching in Game 7 of the World Series after only 22 minor league starts. The Cardinals may consider a similar approach with left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, their second- and third-ranked prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Doyle advanced through Single-A and Double-A last season, while Rodriguez posted a .954 OPS as an 18-year-old and received praise from Nolan Arenado.

Building a deeper lineup that puts balls in play is another focus. In June, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol noted Toronto’s strong lineup depth before they swept St. Louis in a series that helped propel them to an American League pennant. Toronto led Major League Baseball in batting average and on-base percentage during their run and was also one of the hardest teams to strike out.

Under hitting coach Brant Brown, St. Louis made progress early last season by adopting a more disciplined offensive approach but struggled to maintain it throughout the year. Key players such as Iván Herrera, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn, Willson Contreras, and top prospect JJ Wetherholt form a core group for building a consistent lineup moving forward.

Pitching remains an area where improvement is needed. A potential trade partnership with Pittsburgh could address this need; Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller might benefit from working at Busch Stadium and fits St. Louis’ history of developing project pitchers.

Finally, there is renewed interest in bringing veteran pitcher Max Scherzer back to his hometown team. Scherzer played a key role for Toronto during their playoff run this year. He told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson: “I may be 41 years old, but I never thought I could love baseball this much.”

The Cardinals hope these strategies will help them replicate Toronto’s unexpected success next season.