ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

JUPITER, Fla. — A few strides from the Cardinals’ spring training clubhouse, a backhoe and shovels plunged into the dirt on Friday to uproot the familiar, looming trees and relocate them so that in their place could eventual grow a new, gleaming and modern training building.

The symbolism writes itself.

The Cardinals’ youth movement and promised “reset,� along with the accompanying uprooting of familiar expectations and All-Stars so something new can emerge, starts in earnest this week. The Cardinals begin spring training officially Wednesday with pitchers and catchers workouts on the back fields of their Roger Dean Stadium complex, where a long overdue and oft-delayed overhaul of the facility also is poised to begin. Two simultaneous reconstructions, both needed and both tiptoeing around the word rebuild. Pardon the dust.

The Cardinals open a 28th spring training at their Jupiter home with a different tone. Instead of the annual pledge to push for a World Series title, they’re looking to reduce salary now and focus on the future, to regain lost ground in the perpetual race to develop impact players.

“Rightfully, there are a lot of questions around the reset and what does it look like, what does competing look like, what does success look like? Do we have an opportunity to truly win?� manager Oliver Marmol said. “There’s clarity in the direction we’re headed. … (The players) have been pretty confident about what 2025 looks like. There’s some good energy behind it. They’re not looking just to play games, but to compete and win (and) leave their mark on this franchise. They’re playing for something.�

On Saturday, not too far from where those trees stood in new ground, Marmol described the energy youth can bring to a team and the volatility youth can bring to a team’s results. He said he wants a “relentlessness� to become their hallmark.

To grow in that direction, the Cardinals must start to answer the 10 questions presented here in the Post-Dispatch’s annual first delivery of spring:

1. What’s the fallout from Arenado trade talks?

According to John Mozeliak, the club’s president of baseball operations, his “first, second, and third� priority this winter was trading All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to clear salary from the payroll and playing time for young players. It’s only the first question here. The Cardinals remained in ongoing conversation with the Boston Red Sox last week and sought other interested teams in a marketplace stalled waiting for free agent Alex Bregman’s decision. It’s become apparent how teams want the ticking clock to pressure the Cardinals into covering more salary than the $15 million-$20 million they have expected.

Neither the player nor team want trade talks to leak into spring, and either way — trade or no trade — the impact will be significant. The Cardinals are a different (better) team with Arenado at third; they want to signal a different (younger) direction with Nolan Gorman there.

2. When’s the ETA on Generation Bloom?

This spring will be more than a spyglass toward JJ Wetherholt, Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence and the other onrushing talent the Cardinals are counting on to be their next core. It will be the first glimpse (and beginning implementation) of Chaim Bloom’s repopulating, reviving, and reimagining of the club’s player development infrastructure.

The players who will lead the team’s next president of baseball operation’s first team — after Bloom replaces Mozeliak, who is departing at season’s end — are on the horizon. This spring will show if the updated system needed to maximize prospects and nourish a contender is in place ahead for them.

3. Will defense be a deciding factor?

Willson Contreras’ willingness to relocate to first base and stay in St. Louis is not the only defensive workshop to monitor this spring as the Cardinals also determine the fits, hand in glove, around the outfield.

Jordan Walker must take strides in right with new coach Jon Jay. But it’s center where camp could be its most competitive. Good glove Michael Siani is the incumbent, upside bat Lars Nootbaar can be the challenger, and speedster Victor Scott II is the prospect on the rise. Who wins playing time in center will say as much about the Cardinals’ devotion to defense as it does the answer to …

4. Can new coach perk up pedestrian offense?

The anchor dragging down the ’24 Cardinals was a puny production with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals had the third-lowest slugging figure (.342), and if they had been just average they would have had 45 more extra-base hits and likely a few more wins. Instead they have a “reset.�

Enter Brant Brown. With references from people such as Skip Schumaker and Albert Pujols, Brown is the first outside hire at hitting coach since 2018 and the first with no ties to the Cardinals in nearly 20 years. A fervent personality, “Brownie� visited Cardinals hitters throughout the winter and left enthusiasm in his wake — especially with his pivotal pupils, Gorman and Walker. Their excitement is a hint at an upbeat tone for spring. Now, does that leads to an uptick in production?

Plus: Before they take a swing, things are looking up for hitters this spring as Roger Dean Stadium, a notoriously difficult place to hit, moved in the walls 20 feet in the outfield alleys to make room for new bullpens.

5. Any room for youth in seasoned rotation?

For a team committed to “going young,� the age gap is significant between its twentysomething lineup and thirtysomething rotation. That does offer the Cardinals a ballast of innings to counter any youthful turbulence, but could it also block the next generation of starters, the lifeblood of any true turnaround?

Michael McGreevy & Co. will use spring training to elbow their way into discussions as the Cardinals consider a six-man rotation or cameo starts. Spring also is annually cruel to pitchers, and health could make the decision.

6. Will Cardinals really rev up running game?

Masyn Winn says he wants to steal more bases. Scott certainly can. Wetherholt wants a healthy run at more. And Marmol has promised an “electric, fast, and absolutely relentless� style.

The green light is on this spring. Time to see if the Cardinals — last in their division in steals since the bigger bases debuted — can catch up to baseball’s pace because too often in the past the Go-Go Cards of the Grapefruit League are going, going, gone by May.

7. Any room for surprises?

Beneath the placid surface of their offseason, the Cardinals made some minor moves to accumulate depth and maybe bottle some lightning. Although even a “reset� roster appears static, there are spots in which a resurgent newcomer or rising minor-leaguer could turn a steady March into an April run. A six pack to track:

Andre Granillo, RHP: Homegrown reliever with 169 strikeouts in past 133 minor-league innings.

Nick Anderson, RHP: Lockdown reliever for Tampa Bay before surgery and misplaced fastball. Was signed Friday.

Jose Barrero, INF: Once Cincinnati’s top prospect; now an athlete looking for a fresh start.

Bailey Horn, LHP: A lefty with inconsistent fastball, sits 95 mph and zips to 98 mph. ‘Nuff said.

Matt Svanson, RHP: Consistent closing presence who went 27 for 27 in save opportunities at Class AA.

Roddery Munoz, RHP: Has two fastballs, a slider, a changeup and throws everything hard.

8. What’s the setup for the closer?

A seminal moment for Ryan Helsley’s remarkable, record-setting season came last spring when the Cardinals made a commitment to a classic closer role. The setup for that decision was just that — the arrival of Andrew Kittredge. With the stabilizing vet now with Baltimore, that role is open. Auditions begin now.

Ryan Fernandez is an early favorite with lefties JoJo Romero and Matthew Liberatore poised to assert themselves. Riley O’Brien, back from injury, and several newcomers (see above) will get looks. But the Cardinals won’t be shocked if spring hints at the eventual midsummer answer, such as prospect Gordon Graceffo.

9. How will fans react?

The first referendum from fans on the Cardinals’ “reset� will be early returns from Florida.

The Cardinals believe the best way to invigorate ticket sales is to start strong in April. That momentum begins on the back fields and ballparks of March. Will the faithful show up as they have so robustly before? Access to practices is free. Game tickets remain. Attendance and support in the spring can be a barometer whether a ravenous fan base is intrigued or disinterested — or something far worse … disenchanted.

10. Can Cardinals begin their way back?

That is that question that begins this spring but lingers until it’s answered.

Renovations are underway all around the Cardinals, from corners of the roster to acres of their facility, from coaches to front office, from minor-league structure to major-league expectations. The stated goal is to grow a contender from this mulch. Change is as apparent as the trees standing in new spots.

Now, it just has to take root.