Here are 3 key storylines to follow in Spring Training

This story was excerpted from John Denton¡¯s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Unwilling to commit fully to a roster rebuild over much of the past 25 years because of their thirst to remain competitive for a potential 12th World Series title, the new-look Cardinals opened a Spring Training unlike many others in recent history on Tuesday.

There were no flashy free-agent signings brought in to fill holes on the roster, no difference-making trade acquisitions strategically plucked from a struggling team. World Series-or-bust talk has given way to hopeful jargon such as ¡°opportunity,¡± ¡°runway¡± and ¡°patience.¡±

One of MLB¡¯s most consistently competitive franchises over the past quarter-century is diving headlong into rebuilding, even if they are tap-dancing around that word and instead sticking with the phrase ¡°resetting.¡±

Times are a¡¯ changing in Cardinals Country and it might take some getting used to for a fan base mostly unfamiliar with rebuilding. With all that in mind, here are three of the top storylines in Cards camp:

1. When are the Cardinals going to trade Nolan Arenado?

Momentum toward a trade continues to build, with the Red Sox being the leaders for the services of Arenado, sources say. However, the Yankees have reappeared as potential trade partners in recent days, a source confirmed on Tuesday.

New York¡¯s involvement in potentially landing Arenado could come down to two factors: the Cardinals being willing to pay down a ¡°significant¡± portion of the $64 million remaining on Arenado¡¯s contract, per a source; secondly, the Yankees would need to find a third team willing to take on the contract of pitcher Marcus Stroman, which was originally reported by MLB.com in mid-December.

The Red Sox would prefer to sign free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, but they could be close to acting on a standing deal from the Cardinals. Those two teams were in talks in December and re-engaged in recent weeks.

2. Can the Baby ¡®Birds be competitive and push for the playoffs?

The Cardinals went against their usual practices by culling their roster of veterans so they can focus on their young core in the season ahead. Paul Goldschmidt, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Andrew Kittredge are gone, and Arenado could soon join them.

Can a team with few veterans (Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Ryan Helsley) pair with the youngsters (Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese, Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante) and remain competitive? History isn¡¯t on their side, as the Cardinals are prepared to potentially open with their youngest starting lineup since 1994. That Joe Torre-led team finished 53-61 over 115 games of that shortened season.

The defense will likely be a work in progress most of the season, with Contreras moving to first base, Gorman switching back to third base after three years at second, Walker still finding his footing in right field and the team turning the catching duties over to youngsters Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés. The bullpen is still the team¡¯s strength, but it took a hit with the loss of Kittredge.

3. Can Cards get Walker and Gorman back to bashing baseballs?

So much of what the Cardinals are doing this season centers on the 22-year-old Walker and the 24-year-old Gorman. Both are former top prospects in the organization with unquestioned power potential, but they have curiously struggled to consistently hit big league pitching. The Cards want them to know they are going to play every night and not fear being shipped to Triple-A Memphis, which was the case with both Gorman and Walker in 2024.

New hitting coach Brant Brown is well aware of the importance of those two pieces, and he wasted no time building relationships with both this offseason -- Gorman in Arizona and Walker at the team¡¯s Spring Training complex in Florida. If ¡°Brownie¡± can unlock the potential of both sluggers in 2025, the Cards might be willing to give him a lifetime contract.

With Gorman -- who saw his strikeout rate soar to a whopping 37.6 percent in 2024 -- the key is figuring out ways to lay off and foul off elevated fastballs. As for Walker, who has had troubles with lifting balls and hitting line drives, so much of his success depends on pitch selection.