The Cardinals were among the offseasons most aggre sive teams early. St. Louis signed , and within the winters first couple weeks. That accomplished their goal of bringing in three veteran starters. Things have been quiet since November, as theyve traded away and swapped outfielder for middle reliever . Ross Stripling Jersey It seems St. Louis early flurry on the rotation front will represent the main part of their offseason activity. St. Louis president the club doesnt anticipate taking on much more payroll this offseason. While DeWitt left open the po sibility for reinvesting in the MLB roster after subtracting some amount of money in trade, he implied theyre near the limit of their financial comfort zone. Look, I think were always open to improving our club within reason, but, you know, weve already made some big moves, DeWitt told Denton. With payroll, it has to be thought of in the context of the whole busine s with all the investments were making in other aspects of the product on the field. So, we are making a pretty big push by raising payroll and having revenues somewhat challenged (a reference to the ongoing Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy that could impact their local broadcasting deal with Bally Sports Midwest). Its actually quite a commitment. Now, is there a little more room there? It depends on the deal. That the Cardinals are near their spending target doesnt come as a major surprise. projects the organizations 2024 player payroll around $177MM. Thats almost exactly where they opened the 2023 campaign, per Cots Baseball Contracts. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak at the outset of the offseason that the Cards would have a similar starting payroll in 24 as they did a year ago. Its fair to wonder if the organization has done enough to get back to playoff competitivene s. Lynn is a rebound candidate after giving up 44 home runs. Gibson has been a reliable innings-eater but typically turns in back-of-the-rotation results. Gray should be a significant upgrade, but the Cardinals entered last season with and still didnt have nearly enough starting pitching. As things stand, it looks as if theyll open next year with a rotation comprising Gray, , Gibson, Lynn and . Young left-handers and could push Matz for a rotation spot. The Cardinals could still look for a lower-cost addition to the relief corps to deepen the group in front of , and . Zack Gelof Jersey