For the majority of the off-season, Cardinals fans have been critical of the organization in regards to making moves in trades and/or free agency. By far their biggest acquisition came in new outfielder Marcell Ozuna, while former outfielders Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk were traded away.
Meanwhile, the bullpen was still a major issue. After struggling all season long with poor performances and frequent injuries, the Cardinals entered Spring Training with an opening spot in the closer role. With less than two hours before Opening Day, the Cardinals signed former Rockies closer Greg Holland to a one-year, $14 million deal, filling in the closer spot that they longed to fill over the 2018 off-season.
However, when the Opening Day roster was announced, it wasn't full of talent they acquired from across Major League Baseball: it was talent homegrown from within the organization. 14 Cardinals were developed within the team, and seven of them were first-time Cardinals.
It shows that the process of developing through the farm-system is still just as successful in St. Louis as ever. But of course, having talent from across the league never hurts either.
Ozuna and Holland filled up two key needs heading into the off-season: a power hitter, and a closer. Mix them with the rest of the team, and you have an organization ready to get back into the playoffs after missing it in 2017.