ORLANDO, Fla. — When told on Wednesday that one baseball executive described MLB trade talks moving at a âglacialâ pace, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom furled his face and openly balked.
âThatâs not how it has felt to me,â said an admittedly weary Bloom, who kept himself busy throughout the three days of MLBâs Winter Meetings conducting trade talks surrounding Cardinals mainstays Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. âTo some degree, itâs binary — either you have something or you donât. Right now, we donât.
A Cardinals club in the beginning stages of a full-on rebuild left Orlando on Wednesday without a trade being made, but it certainly wasnât because of a lack of trying. With the Cardinals already fielding several calls about Donovan and Romero, they were queried by the Mets with interest in Contreras, per a source, after first baseman Pete Alonso left for the Orioles in free agency.
Here is a look at the week that was:
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BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
1) Find deals for Donovan, Romero, Arenado and Contreras to flood the franchise with promising prospects
Bloom, a Cards consultant the past two years, knows the Cards canât seriously contend in 2026 even if he brought those players back. Instead, he wants to try and exchange Donovan and Romero at the height of their values for a bevy of promising prospects.
2) Add a veteran starting pitcher to a young staff
As currently constructed, the Cardinals expect Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy and Richard Fitts to compete for starting jobs. That group is noticeably light on experience, and they need veterans to eat innings. Tyler Mahle, GermĂĄn MĂĄrquez and Paul Blackburn might fit the clubâs needs and budget.
3) Extend Oliver Marmolâs contract beyond 2026
Marmol guided the Cards to the playoffs in 2022, but he and the club have been home for the postseason each of the last three years. However, that doesnât mean he has done a poor job. Marmol has masterfully handled the bullpen each of the past two seasons, and he helped the Cardinals make it through 2025 without losing a starting pitcher to an arm injury. He and many coaches on his staff have backgrounds in player development and those skills are going to be needed more than ever in 2026 and â27.
HE SAID IT
âI had one [trade proposal] a couple of years ago come on Christmas Day. Famously, Iâm not even a Christmas celebrant, and I was still annoyed by that.â — Bloom, who is of the Jewish faith
DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS
MLBâs Draft Lottery continues to giveth and taketh from the Cardinals. In a year when the Cardinals were hopeful of adding another high pick to help speed up their roster rebuild, the club plummeted to the No. 13 pick in the random process. The Cards’ luck with ping pong balls was so sour that they even fell below the Rockies, Nationals and Angels (pick Nos. 10-12), who werenât eligible to land a top six pick because of MLB rules.
The Cardinals went into Tuesday with MLBâs eighth-best odds at the No. 1 pick (2.35 percent). It is the second time in three seasons the Cards fell below their slot in the odds. In 2023, they fell from the fifth-best odds to No. 7 where they landed infielder JJ Wetherholt.
The Cards came into last yearâs lottery with the 13th-best odds at No. 1, but they defied the odds and landed the No. 5 pick and selected hard-throwing lefty Liam Doyle. Wetherholt and Doyle, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the organizationâs prospect rankings, per MLB Pipeline, are foundational pieces from which Bloom hopes will hasten the roster recovery.
RULE 5 DRAFT
Bloom famously plucked reliever Garrett Whitlock away from the Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft when he worked for the Red Sox. On Wednesday, his club took a stab at another reliever by drafting Matt Pushard in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
Pushard, 28 and a native of Maine, was 4-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 49 appearances (one start). Using a fastball that has touched 97.4 mph and one that limited foes to a .163 batting average in 2025, Pushard struck out 73 batters in 62 1/3 innings. He came highly recommended by University of Maine head coach Nick Derba, who was selected in the 30th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Cardinals and spent six seasons in the clubâs Minor League system.
The Cards lost right-handed starter Cade Winquest to the Yankees with the No. 11 pick of the Rule 5 Draft. He struck out 110 batters in 106 innings pitched at High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield.
GM’S BOTTOM LINE
During his time as the baseball boss with the Red Sox from 2019-23, Bloom was largely known as the executive who traded Mookie Betts. Still, Bloom did acquire Kyle Schwarber (2021), Alex Verdugo (2020) and Matt Strahm (2022).
Bloom knows that he must be similarly aggressive in St. Louis by using the talent in place to build a brighter future. Donovan and Romero are almost certain to move on based on the widespread interest. Contreras is expected to waive his no-trade clause to play in New York. Bloom must avoid getting stuck awaiting a perfect trade — a common knock from Red Sox fans — and execute deals to collect prospects for the rebuild.
Senior Reporter John Denton covers the Cardinals for MLB.com.
Mets, Yankees among clubs in on Tucker (report)
MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding Kyle Tucker.
Dec. 9: Dodgers could pursue Tucker on short-term deal (report)
Even after agreeing on a deal to add closer Edwin DĂaz to their star-studded roster, the Dodgers might not be done chasing top-flight free agents. According to Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required), Los Angeles could still pursue Tucker.
Rosenthal and Woo reported that the Dodgers likely wouldn’t offer Tucker a long-term deal for six or seven years, with a three- or four-year contract more of a possibility. Regardless, Los Angeles — coming off back-to-back World Series titles — doesn’t seem to be content after signing DĂaz to a three-year deal worth a reported $69 million.
Inking Tucker is far from a certainty (MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote that he would be âsurprisedâ if Tucker signed with Los Angeles) but adding a top free-agent bat still appears to be a priority for the Dodgers. MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reported on Tuesday morning — before news of the DĂaz deal broke — that Los Angeles is among the clubs interested in shortstop Bo Bichette. Bichette would be a big move for L.A., but Tucker would make an even bigger splash.
Dec. 9: Orioles reportedly have spoken with Tucker’s camp
Although weâre still waiting for Tuckerâs market to come into focus, the second day of the Winter Meetings may have provided some clarity.
Philadelphia still needs outfield help, but considering Tuckerâs potential price tag and lefty profile, the teamâs deal with Schwarber seriously diminishes the chances that it will pursue him. The Dodgers may also be more reluctant to spend what it takes to reel in Tucker after investing $69 million in DĂaz, unless the recent trade chatter around outfielder Teoscar HernĂĄndez results in a move.
The O’s are one of the most interesting teams to watch in the wake of Schwarberâs decision to return to the Phillies. According to a report from The Athletic (subscription required), the Oâs offer to Schwarber matched the one he accepted from Philadelphia (five years, $150 million).
With money to spend and a desire to return to contention in a hurry after a disappointing 2025 season, Baltimore is expected to stay aggressive in the free-agent market.
The Athletic’s report mentions Tucker as a target for the Orioles and notes that the club has been âinvolved in discussions for virtually every player at the top of the market this offseason, other than infielders Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, neither of whom would fill a need.â
Dec. 5: Orioles in the mix for Tucker?
The Orioles were at one point in this offseason considered to be “a team to watch” when it came to Tucker’s free agency. Sometime later, their stance regarding a Tucker pursuit reportedly changed to one in which they weren’t ruling it out. Is Baltimore now fully in the mix to acquire the slugging right fielder?
According to MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon in an article for The Athletic (subscription required), the O’s “remain involved” in the Tucker sweepstakes.
Could Tucker be another splashy move for Baltimore heading into the 2026 campaign? It certainly wouldn’t hurt in an ultra-competitive division from which three postseason teams emerged in ’25.
Dec. 3: Tucker remains in play for aggressive Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have been active this offseason, addressing their rotation with the additions of Dylan Cease (seven years, $210 million) and Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million), but those moves may be just the start for the defending AL champs.
According to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, Toronto’s spending in the pitching market hasn’t taken it out of the mix for Tucker. In fact, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that Tucker was at the Blue Jays’ complex in Florida on Dec. 3. That visit was initially reported by Robert Murray of FanSided.
The Blue Jays are also still considering Bo Bichette, their longtime shortstop.
Nov. 20: O’s reportedly not ruling out a pursuit of Tucker
The Orioles bolstered their outfield on Tuesday by acquiring Taylor Ward, who hit 36 home runs this past season, in a trade with the Angels for right-handed starter Grayson Rodriguez. That deal gives the O’s a surplus of outfielders, with Ward, Tyler O’Neill, youngsters Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers, and the recently added Leody Taveras all in the mix. And yet, they may not be done upgrading that group.
“If the Orioles landed Tucker, they possibly could package Cowser or Beavers with prospects to satisfy some of their pitching needs. Or, they could pursue other avenues,” Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. “Their thinking would be: Make Tucker the anchor of a still-mostly youthful lineup, then figure out the rest.”
Nov. 14: Is there an early frontrunner in the Tucker sweepstakes?
The GM Meetings in Las Vegas wrapped up on Thursday. There weren’t any big deals struck, but as far as the teams most interested in Tucker, one club’s name kept coming up throughout the week, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand: the Blue Jays.
“You’ve heard the same teams named all week — the Yankees, the Phillies, the Dodgers. The one team I heard more than anybody else connected to Tucker was the Blue Jays,” Feinsand said during Thursday’s edition of MLB Tonight. “Obviously right now [the Blue Jays have] all the momentum in the world coming off the World Series appearance. … I think Tucker is certainly going to be in the mix there in Toronto.”
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman agreed that the Blue Jays will be “a definite bidder” for this year’s No. 1 free agent. One team that may not be a major threat to sign Tucker? His 2025 club, the Cubs. Feinsand said Tucker “probably won’t” end up back with Chicago.
Nov. 10: Dodgers, Blue Jays, Yanks viewed as likely Tucker landing spots; Orioles a team to watch?
With the GM Meetings beginning Monday in Las Vegas, the Hot Stove should start to heat up this week. Even if we don’t see a bevy of free-agent signings, there will likely be plenty of rumors and information to glean from regarding some of the best players in this year’s class.
A separate league source told The Athletic that the O’s are “open to pursuing a premium bat, both in terms of price and production.”
The Dodgers could easily slot Tucker into right field and slide Teoscar HernĂĄndez over to left, a position where they lacked a serious offensive threat this season. Toronto has fallen short in the bidding for some recent headline free agents (Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Juan Soto). But it may not be denied this time after coming up just one win shy of a World Series title. The Yankees, meanwhile, have an outfield spot to fill with Cody Bellinger currently in free agency.
Offense doesn’t seem like Baltimore’s biggest need this offseason; it should be more focused on adding a top-of-the-rotation starter as well as more pitching depth to improve a staff that had a 4.60 ERA this season. However, in the wake of a last-place finish in the AL East, the Orioles may be motivated to land the best free agent available. Plus, Tucker is very familiar with O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias, who was the Astros’ scouting director when Houston drafted Tucker fifth overall in 2015.
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