The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a new era, a “Youngry” era (young + hungry, coined by Center Fielder Victor Scott II). St. Louis is sporting a youth forward group that plays an exciting kind of baseball, led by a breakout season from 23 year old right fielder Jordan Walker and rookie phenom, 23 year old 2nd Basemen J.J. Wetherholt. 

New GM and President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom prefaced this season with the notion that the team would be entering a rebuild phase, starting from the ground up. However, the redbirds have defied expectations and have started the 2026 season 25-18 as of May 15.

While Wetherholt and Walker have shined bright with their bats, the Cardinals hurlers haven’t been half bad. Closer Riley O’Brein ranks 3rd in reliever Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in the first fifth of the season. 

One downside to the Cardinals red hot start this season is that they still sit 2.0 games back from the Cubs, who are 1st in the National League Central; in fact, the NL central has been incredibly good just past the 40 game mark in ‘26. Reds, who sit last in the division are 23-21 as of May 5, making it so that every team in the division has a record >.500.

Only time will tell what happens come October, and as it sits right now, the Cardinals reportedly aren’t swaying from their sellers mindset despite the great start. What does this means for the team? It means that even if the redbirds are still in playoff contention at the trade deadline, it is probable that they still trade key players for prospects in the hope of building a solid foundation for the future. The fate of Lars Nootbaar, Riley O’Brein and Dustin May is up in the air. They could be traded come July, or they could remain with the squad in a late season postseason push. 

It’s still early, but this start is unprecedented for a young rebuilding Cardinals team. Every loss feels expected, and every win feels like a bonus. It just happens to be that St. Louis is giving their fans more bonuses than not.