We’re halfway through spring training yet we are not all that closer to figuring out what the St. Louis Cardinals will look like in 2025.

Some of that is by design. Grapefruit League play spans more than a month for a reason. Organizations need time to figure out their rosters.

But in the Cardinals’ case, the roster is looking pretty similar to 2024. And after promising a reset period in October, that’s a problem — or at least that’s what the participants in this mailbag are saying.

In the first installment of a two-part spring training mailbag, we discuss the changes in the Cardinals’ transition plans. Topics range from Chaim Bloom’s involvement, player development updates and why the Cardinals seem to be stuck in the middle between competing and rebuilding.

(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

What is this team’s strategy exactly? Last fall they announced that they were “planning for the future,” but nothing about their offseason actions furthered this strategy. Trading Nolan Arenado would have been a step in that direction, but not trading other vets would still have been a half-measure. This team is perpetually stuck in the middle. — CG H.

You won’t hear me disagreeing with any of your above points. The fact that the Cardinals seem to be hovering above middle ground — even after their self-proclaimed reset plans — has befuddled countless executives throughout the industry. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal touched on this topic in a column last week and explained why the Cardinals did not rebuild as heavily as they could, and why it appears they have essentially backtracked on their previous plans.

What is the Cardinals’ 2025 strategy you ask? It’s to win as many games as possible while extending as much opportunity as possible to as many young players as possible. (Yeah, say that three times fast.)

I’m on the record multiple times saying I understand why the Cardinals chose this plan. But I also think (given how the offseason and spring have transpired) that it’s fair to question if this strategy is still feasible. This year’s projected roster sure looks a lot like last year’s. Yes, St. Louis lost four pivotal members of last season’s 83-79 club: Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and Andrew Kittredge. But a majority of the questions about this year’s squad remain the same, especially when it comes to playing time, position redundancy and players’ future potential.

No, the Cardinals did not trade any veterans. They certainly tried to trade Arenado, to no avail. Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray preferred not to exercise their no-trade clauses, which is their earned right. Could that have persuaded John Mozeliak to keep other assets, such as Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde (who were both high-profile trade candidates), thus impacting the degree of the reset? It’s entirely possible.

The defining questions for the Cardinals this season: Will they commit to their stated intentions to give runway to key young players? And just how much runway exists?

The two executives worked together throughout the winter to bolster up the organization’s very under-staffed player development system (more on this below). This was one of, if not the most, important reason Bloom was hired in the first place. The Cardinals knew their minor-league system was vastly outdated, and Bloom’s extensive résumé made him the ideal candidate to begin modernizing it.

Bloom won’t take over as president of baseball operations until after the 2025 season. It’s Mozeliak’s show until then. While he’ll consult with Bloom when he feels necessary, Mozeliak will be the one in charge of roster decisions, trades and signings and potentially even playing time. (In years prior, Mozeliak preferred his manager to have full autonomy with the every day lineup. This season, with the club trying to guarantee consistent playing time to select players, that strategy could change.)

It’s hard to say what Bloom wants, though you can draw some conclusions as to how he’ll operate from his tenure in Boston (keep in mind, ownership ultimately has the final say). What he has proven already in St. Louis: He’s serious about improving player development. Already, the results are dramatic.

You’ve written extensively about the Cardinals’ renewed focus on their minor-league development system. Can you point readers to any concrete changes that newly hired assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio and adviser Chaim Bloom have implemented? Assuming investment in the development system has increased, is that money being spent on staff, technology, or infrastructure (lab build-outs, etc.) or all of the above? — Jay O.

Eventually, investments will span all three of those areas. Currently, the area that has expanded the most is staffing (and if you missed it, here’s why expanding that department took precedent over everything else).

Let’s take a look at last year’s player development staff and compare it to where the Cardinals are now. Before the 2024 season, St. Louis had five full-time minor-league on-field coordinators — the lowest number in the majors. Under instructing coordinator José Oquendo, the Cardinals had two hitting coordinators, Russ Steinhorn and Brock Hammit, a senior pitching coordinator, Tim Leveque, and a pitching coordinator assigned to the spring training complex, Rick Harig. The issue wasn’t the coordinators they had, however. It was the ones they didn’t.

For years, the Cardinals did not have a catching, infield, outfield or base-running coordinator. They also lacked a minor-league nutritionist and did not staff a single roving coordinator. These are positions considered instrumental by almost every other organization in the league.

When Bloom took over minor-league responsibilities, increasing staffing took utmost priority. After hiring Cerfolio, the two hired three new directors: Larry Day (director of player development), Carl Kochan (director of player performance) and Matt Pierpont (director of pitching). Later in the winter, the Cardinals announced a slew of new coordinator positions, including four new hires and several reassignments.

The new hires included a field coordinator (Ryan Barba) and a catching coordinator (Ethan Goforth). Austin Meine replaced Leveque as pitching coordinator, with Leveque transitioning to a pitching analyst role. Oquendo was named fundamentals coordinator, while former Double-A manager Jose Leger took over as assistant field coordinator and baserunning coordinator. Former Cardinal Bernard Gilkey will be a roving coach.

Bloom and Cerfolio plan to continue expanding staffing over the next several months. The Cardinals’ spring training complex will also undergo a two-year renovation period, which is set to begin shortly after the end of spring training this year.

The Cardinals said they wanted to evaluate their young talent. But how many new, different players have a real chance of even making the 26-manroster? — Ed P.

That’s a fair question and one the organization is struggling to answer. Three more weeks of spring training should help, at least to an extent. But the starting rotation looks full, the corner infield is established and playing time has already been promised to several other players.

As currently projected, the Cardinals will have maybe one open bench spot (if Lars Nootbaar, Michael Siani and Victor Scott II all make the Opening Day roster — which is no guarantee). That bench spot could be used for a right-handed bench bat, like Luken Baker. But that would leave the Cardinals without a true backup shortstop. Brendan Donovan could fill in when needed, sure. But a player like Michael Helman, Jose Barrero or José Fermín could take priority here, which would leave no room for Thomas Saggese.

The area best suited for new faces (and perhaps the only one) is the bullpen. Helsley, JoJo Romero and Ryan Fernandez should resume last year’s roles. Matthew Liberatore likely will too, though that will ultimately depend on whether St. Louis thinks it needs more starting rotation depth. At least four relief spots will be open for taking. Gordon Graceffo is an early favorite to crack the Opening Day roster. Non-roster invite Nick Anderson has a chance as well.

The long answer to your question: There is opportunity for young players, but not to the extent the Cardinals first advertised. It’s been the theme of the spring so far. It’s up to the Cardinals to make sure it doesn’t become the theme of their season.