ATLANTA, GA OCTOBER 09: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) throws a pitch during the National League Division Series game 5 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves on October 9th, 2019 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s almost impossible to tell which players may be “lifers” on the St. Louis Cardinals. However, looking at the history of those players for the Cardinals, which current 2019 roster members could still be on the team in 2025?

In 2010, most fans would’ve never guessed Albert Pujols would be gone in 2015. Since his explosion into the league at the beginning of the 2000s, many St. Louis Cardinals fans thought he was going to be one of the great players that the team would never let walk, as well as a player who would never want to walk.

Sadly though, that relationship became fractured during contract negotiations after the 2011 season and both sides moved on. Almost in a trade, not signing Pujols allowed the team to retain Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for their whole careers. As much as both of them would’ve loved to stay in St. Louis had the Cardinals signed Pujols, the financial duress the Pujols contract would’ve caused probably would’ve led to one or both having to walk in free agency.

In the 2010s, I would’ve pegged at least one of the group of Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller, or Allen Craig to be with the Cardinals until today, but again, things change and the team moved on from all three.

Without too many significant trades of MLB talent in between 2015-now, the Cardinals have retained their talent at the MLB level. Stephen Piscotty or Randall Grichuk both seemed at first like possible lifetime players (especially the former), but again, it wasn’t to be.

There is a difference between a “lifer” and a player that just still happens to be here in 2025, but I am going to blur that distinction for argument’s sake in this article.

When looking at the players who do end up being lifetime players, the easiest examples are Yadi and Waino. When looking at those two, the strongest shared trait between both of them is leadership. Another important trait is the love of St. Louis and the humility that both have shown in their years here. Waino took less money to stay a Cardinal. Yadi has always stepped up when he needs to. They are exactly the definition of “the Cardinal way.”

Looking at the current 25-man roster the Cardinals have, there are definitely players that fit that mold. The easy answer to who will still be here in 2025 is “Dylan Carlson” or some other prospect, but that’s no fun. He and any other player who was a rookie in 2019 will still be under their rookie contract then. So again, looking at only the team’s 25-man roster, who might still be here in 2025?

This is the easy pick for sure. Jack Flaherty has the same bulldog, no-nonsense, leader attitude as Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright before him. Flaherty may not have been the ace everyone was expecting between Alex Reyes, Flaherty, and Luke Weaver, but it’s the one we got and fans already love him.

After being the best pitcher in baseball during the second half of 2019, Flaherty proved that the prospect hype he was shown was warranted and that the pitcher he was in the first half was a fluke.

Flaherty would also be my pick to be signed to an extension this spring. It won’t come cheap, but I believe that Flaherty has shown enough for the Cardinals to give him a blank check for as many years as the Cardinals can lockdown. He is still just 24, and he is vocal about knowing his own value and about how other players take team-friendly deals, so I wouldn’t expect Flaherty to give any sort of a discount, but he would be worth it.

Flaherty has learned from Wainwright and already has the love for the city, I would expect him to stick around until 2025 and hopefully beyond.

Paul Goldschmidt’s current deal that he signed before the 2019 season will take him until after the 2024 season. At that time, Goldy will be 36. However, I would bet that this deal isn’t the only one he signs with the Cardinals.

Since the day the Cardinals acquired the slugger, many journalists, players, coaches, and fans have noted that Goldschidt’s personality fits perfectly in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He reminds me a lot of Matt Holliday; the cool calm and collected superstar who doesn’t speak out much, but when he does, people listen.

Goldschmidt’s first season in St. Louis may have been his worst in the MLB, but it was a new home, with a lot bigger paycheck, and he was better than his stat line showed, especially in the second half.

While the team did end up moving on from Holliday, his love for St. Louis was never hidden and he spent eight of his 15 years in the MLB here. For Goldschmidt, I would not be at all surprised if it was the same story. He may have had his first love in the desert, but over the next five years, I could see the town falling even more in love with him and then him getting a deal like Molina or Wainwright signed to finish his career here.

The first two, at least in my head, were easy. Here’s where it gets difficult. The pick here for me was between Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong. While DeJong is under contract until 2024, making an extension of even one year the only requirement to get him to 2025, but I think Wong is also a deserving candidate.

The reason why is because Wong has truly been through the ringer with this team. Starting by getting picked off in the World Series, he has struggled, he has hit, he has been good or bad in the field, and through it all, he’s still with the team. That loyalty shows what the Cardinals think of Wong, and I would expect that the team’s loyalty isn’t lost on Wong.

Wong is a free agent after the 2021 season at the latest but I would love to see him get extended past that. One thing that helps is that Mike Shildt has his back. Not to say that Mike Matheny didn’t, but there were challenges to keep regular playing time then. Now, with the full confidence of Shildt, Wong flourished and had his best season in 2019. Wong is 29 but is hitting his stride as a player and seeing him in Cardinals red at the age of 34 wouldn’t surprise me either.

This may not be the best list I’ve ever made, but I think in these three players, you see parts of what make Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright great. All three have shown they have the stuff to be relevant in the league in five years and while none are under contract until then, the Cardinals love extensions.

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While Molina and Wainwright may not be playing on the Cardinals in 2025, there is reason to believe these three may.