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DALLAS -- Whereas in years past the Cardinals have used the Winter Meetings to acquire difference-making talent, this week’s annual gathering will take on a dramatically different feel for the franchise.

With the franchise announcing a “reset” for 2025 that will shift the focus to player development, providing more opportunities for core youngsters such as Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Thomas Saggese and Michael McGreevy, these Winter Meetings figure to be notable for the talent departing St. Louis instead of that which comes on board.

With the baseball world converging on Dallas this week, the Cardinals could lay further groundwork on some potential ground-shaking trades. The club is still trying to get a gauge on the temperature of potential deals that would center around future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado and star closer Ryan Helsley -- and, to a lesser extent, pitchers Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz and Erick Fedde. Not only would those deals help the Cards accomplish their goal of lowering future payroll commitments, but they could also snag some promising prospects to replenish the Minor League system.

As we wait to see how the week ahead unfolds, let’s look back on some past Winter Meetings: Here are five notable Cardinals transactions that took place during the biggest week of the offseason, with a big assist from MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.

1) Dec. 7-12, 1980: Whitey Herzog remakes the Redbirds

The 1980 Winter Meetings were among the most active for the Cardinals. It was at those Meetings that manager (then general manager) Herzog’s club took shape in Dallas. Herzog had been hired halfway through the 1980 season to revamp the Cards into a championship-caliber team, and he knew what he wanted to achieve the goal.

And Herzog was willing to trade, sign and deal his way to it, too.

First, he signed free-agent catcher Darrell Porter on Dec. 7. Porter went on to win the 1982 World Series Most Valuable Player Award. The next day, Herzog sketched out an 11-player trade with San Diego, sending Terry Kennedy, John Littlefield, Al Olmsted, Mike Phillips, Kim Seaman, Steve Swisher and John Urrea to the Padres for Rollie Fingers, Bob Shirley, Gene Tenace and Bob Geren.

Four days later, Fingers was traded to the Brewers, along with Ted Simmons and Pete Vuckovich, with the Redbirds acquiring David Green, Dave LaPoint, Sixto Lezcano and Lary Sorenson.

Herzog punctuated the week with a deal to get closer Bruce Sutter, who later delivered the fastball to Gorman Thomas that ended the 1982 World Series. In all, Herzog made four deals involving 22 players.

2) Dec. 10, 1981: The Wizard comes to St. Louis

The Cardinals acquired: SS Ozzie Smith, RHP Steve Mura, LHP Al Olmsted
The Padres acquired: OF Sixto Lezcano, SS Garry Templeton, RHP Luis DeLeon

Herzog did his job in 1980, but he was far from done. At the 1981 Winter Meetings in Hollywood, Fla., he dealt Templeton to the Padres for Hall of Famer Smith, who captivated baseball with his backflips and infield wizardry.

Smith became one of the best in history to put on a Cardinals uniform. He won 11 consecutive National League Gold Glove Awards in St. Louis and he was a 14-time All-Star in his 15 seasons with the Cardinals.

3) Dec. 13, 2003: Top pitching prospect snatched from Braves

St. Louis acquired: RHP Adam Wainwright, LHP Ray King, RHP Jason Marquis
Atlanta acquired: OF J.D. Drew, C Eli Marrero

While Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty was negotiating with Braves GM John Schuerholz in Atlanta’s hotel suite at the 2003 Winter Meetings in New Orleans, a 22-year-old Wainwright was on St. Simons Island, Ga., ignoring the buzzing of his cell phone and trying to focus on the conversation at hand. He couldn’t take the call; he was asking his future father-in-law for his blessing to marry his daughter, Jenny.

In the following hours, Wainwright secured his father-in-law's approval, the Braves lost a prized prospect and the Cardinals gained one of their most successful starters.

While negotiating the deal, Jocketty refused to budge on his request for Wainwright, causing Atlanta executives to leave the room. But they came back, altering Cardinals -- and Braves -- history forever.

4) Dec. 8, 2011: Albert Pujols leaves for Anaheim

Of course, this move was notable for the wrong reasons for the Cardinals: They lost their three-time NL MVP to the Angels in free agency.

Pujols accepted a 10-year, $254 million deal on the last day of the 2011 Winter Meetings, ending his 11-year career as the Cardinals’ offensive centerpiece just months after he helped them to a World Series championship. The Cards had tried to negotiate a contract extension two years prior to him hitting the open market, but the two sides never came to an agreement, and Los Angeles eventually outbid St. Louis.

Pujols’ relationship with Cardinals management had soured during the negotiation process, but it was clear when he returned to Busch Stadium for the first time as an Angel in 2019 that those feelings were ancient history.

5) Dec. 13, 2002: Chris Carpenter becomes a Cardinal

The Cardinals formally signed their future ace on Dec. 13, but the one-year deal with the right-hander came together day prior -- the final day of the 2002 Winter Meetings in Nashville. Carpenter was recovering from surgery that repaired a torn labrum in his shoulder, so the Cards took him at a bargain, the deal setting in motion Carpenter's nine-year stint with St. Louis.

Carpenter won the 2005 NL Cy Young Award and the '09 ERA title. He was also part of two World Series championships and was a three-time All-Star.