After missing playoffs again, where do Cardinals go from here?

Postseason baseball has been a consistent presence in St. Louis for most of this century, with the Cardinals playing into October 16 times since 2000.

Next month, Busch Stadium will be dark for the second straight year, presenting the Cardinals with a host of questions to answer during the upcoming offseason.

With a 76-75 record entering play Wednesday, the Cardinals have already improved upon their 71-91 catastrophe from a year ago, but after spending more than $140 million two winters ago and another $105 million last offseason, the results have not been what St. Louis had hoped for.

“You look at the names they have and it’s just supposed to work,” one National League executive said. “It hasn’t come together.”

It’s difficult to point a finger at any particular player, however. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt haven’t produced the way they did in 2021 and ’22, while youngsters such as Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have been unable to become consistent performers despite rising expectations.

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“They are in no man’s land,” another NL executive said. “If they don’t do much, they will be somewhere around .500 again.”

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak -- who has been at the helm since October 2007 -- is under contract through 2025, at which point he has said he plans to step down. Former Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom has been working in the front office as an advisor to Mozeliak since January, and there is already plenty of speculation that he’ll take over for Mozeliak when the time comes.

Depending on how the club handles some of its option decisions, St. Louis could find itself with a healthy amount of salary coming off the payroll next month, giving the Cards an opportunity to make some noise this winter.

Goldschmidt is a free agent, and although it’s possible the Cardinals could extend him a qualifying offer or try to bring him back on a short-term deal, the more likely scenario is that the 2022 NL Most Valuable Player will finish his career elsewhere.

Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn each have $12 million club options, and while a Gibson return is a possibility, Lynn’s time in St. Louis appears to be over. If none of those three are back for 2025, that’s roughly $50 million coming off the books.

Assuming the Cardinals plan to reinvest that money into their payroll, where would it make the most sense to do so?

“They certainly have some solid young players to build around; I think the big question they need to ask is who they believe in and how they want to support those players with supplemental free-agent signings and trades,” an NL executive said. “They definitely need to get younger and focus more on adding athleticism rather than adding more veterans around their already aging group. That has been their M.O. for a long time because they’ve always had a group they believed could compete and just needed to plug some holes. I think the roster itself has more holes than in the past and some of the pieces that are clearly part of their everyday roster are older and simply less impactful.”

This season, St. Louis ranks 14th in the NL in runs scored and 12th in OPS, home runs, slugging percentage and stolen bases, a major factor in this underachieving campaign. The club also ranks last in the NL in average with runners in scoring position, with Goldschmidt -- who leads the team with 157 plate appearances in those situations -- batting only .204 through Tuesday.

One NL executive wondered whether the Cardinals need to do some self-assessment to determine what type of club they want to be in 2025 and beyond.

“You used to be able to tell who they were pretty easily; not so much anymore,” the exec said. “Are they going for [power]? They used to be known for quality, well-rounded players who put the ball in play even if they didn’t slug a ton.”

Looking ahead to 2025, the Cardinals have a number of spots that appear to be set. The rotation will be headed by Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Andre Pallante, with a Gibson return and either Steven Matz or Miles Mikolas potentially rounding out the group. Ryan Helsley will return as the closer, and the rest of the bullpen should be fine even if Andrew Kittredge leaves as a free agent.

The lineup is another story.

Assuming Goldschmidt departs, first base could be a combination of Alec Burleson and Luken Baker, while Masyn Winn and Arenado will handle the left side of the infield and Willson Contreras will handle the bulk of the catching duties.

Second base? That’s far less certain. Brendan Donovan could fill that role, though St. Louis could opt to use him in left field instead. Gorman remains an option, though it’s unclear how the club views him after sending him to the Minors last month.

That brings us to the outfield, where the Cardinals will return Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Michael Siani and Walker, whose poor start resulted in an early-season demotion to the Minors, where he remained for nearly four months.

The uncertainty surrounding Gorman and Walker has been part of the Cardinals’ problem, because St. Louis has been unable to rely on a pair of young players they hoped would become staples of the club. Will they enter 2025 with a plan to play them as regulars? Could they use one or both in trades this offseason?

“They need to make decisions,” said an NL executive. “Either support those guys or replace them.”

The outfield has been an enigma for the Cardinals for much of the past decade. Matt Holliday is the last Cardinals outfielder to make an All-Star team back in 2015, and while the club has produced players such as Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill in recent years, all have been traded elsewhere after failing to live up to expectations. Prior to that, St. Louis dealt both Randy Arozarena and Adolis García before giving either a serious look.

Perhaps signing an offensive-minded outfielder -- no, we’re not talking about Juan Soto, but rather someone such as Anthony Santander or Teoscar Hernández -- would help revive the lineup.

Even before this two-year postseason absence, the Cardinals were 1-5 during the previous three Octobers, all of which saw them eliminated in the Wild Card round. After reaching four straight NLCS and winning two NL pennants and a World Series between 2011-14, St. Louis has missed the postseason five times and advanced to the NLCS only once during the past 10 seasons.

Barring an unexpected change at the top and a decision to begin a rebuild, the Cardinals should have some money to spend and some clear holes to fill. Given the relative stability of the pitching staff, a good winter could have them contending as soon as next season.

“I’m not sure they need to do a ton of spending,” an NL executive said. “They’ll still have a good veteran presence. Their farm system could use some improvement, so maybe adding to that through some trades this winter would be beneficial. Going that route and then supplementing through free agency could help build a well-rounded team not just for next year, but for years to come.”