Though the St. Louis Cardinals exceeded expectations this season, they still fell short of the postseason, finishing 77-85, and are not truly ready to compete for a championship.

When Chaim Bloom joined the organization last year, the Cardinals were ready to begin a full-scale rebuild, selling off their top players during the offseason. Now, a year later, St. Louis seems to be in a much better position, with plenty of talented young players establishing themselves in the league and more on the way.

Despite the Cardinals' positive outlook, they still need to be cautious this offseason. St. Louis' path forward this offseason should be crystal clear: sign durable veterans to short-term contracts and scour the trade market for players the Cardinals can pair with their young core long-term.

Short-term free agents

Improving the pitching staff is the Cardinals' highest priority, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. Still, the team is "unlikely" to be big spenders in free agency, as reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo.

"After an encouraging first season under Chaim Bloom’s leadership, with a payroll that projects to be one of the lowest in the sport, could the Cardinals splurge this winter and expedite what is expected to be a multi-year rebuild?" Rosenthal, Sammon and Woo wrote on Wednesday. "It’s unlikely, according to league sources familiar with the organization’s thinking. Instead, Bloom is likely to operate similar to the way he did last winter, adding durable veterans on short-term deals. Bloom told reporters Tuesday that the Cardinals will look to address their bullpen, an area that plagued them last season; Cardinals relievers combined to blow 30 saves, tied for the third-most in MLB."

It wouldn't make sense for the Cardinals to make a big splash in free agency by signing a player like Tarik Skubal to a massive contract if the team doesn't believe it's positioned well to make a run for the championship. The Cardinals will still be active in free agency to improve their rotation, but it's far more likely they look to add a veteran to a short-term contract, as they did with Dustin May this year. That way, St. Louis can bring in a free agent to stabilize its young starting rotation and can later trade away the pitcher at the trade deadline for a haul of prospects.

Trades for long-term pieces

Another route the Cardinals could take, which seems more likely than initially expected, is to make a trade for players they can pair with their young core for years to come. Bloom left the door open to the possibility, as shared by ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

"'We'll continue to have lanes for our young players,' Bloom said. 'There's also looking outside the organization from a trade standpoint to join those players for the long haul. That could be front and center or a supporting role.' The Cardinals believe they're deeper than they were a year ago at this time. It gives them flexibility to improve," Rogers wrote.

The Cardinals have a fantastic young core in Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn, among others, along with one of the best farm systems in baseball. Though it may not be the time to go all in on free agency, St. Louis can still make impactful additions this offseason.