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BALTIMORE — Whether the Cardinals’ success in the standings starts to show up more often in the stands with fans to see them will take a few more weeks to be certain. But their level of play and early traction as a contender, not a rebuilder, is already shaping how the front office views adding or dismantling at the trade deadline.

“Given the couple of years we’ve had, having good vibes around the ballpark is also important,” said president of baseball operations John Mozeliak on Tuesday afternoon at Oriole Park. “We went into this year with an understanding this was going to be about opportunity for players and depending on what they do with it would determine our next steps, right? So when you think about how the public had us as sellers — whether it was selling this offseason or selling at the trade deadline.

“It might look a little different based on how we’re playing.”

The question that prompted that response was about an Easter egg Mozeliak and other club executives have tucked inside their comments about reducing payroll this season and focusing on youth, even at the possible expense of the usual winning expectations.

When describing this “transition year” from his leadership to POBO-elect Chaim Bloom’s, Mozeliak has repeatedly said the goal is to make sure the next front office has a clear understanding of the young players currently in the majors and who the team can build around. Mozeliak and ownership said when that homegrown group is identified and primed “to contend” the payroll would be increased to augment around them.

The expectation is that timing was a year or years away.

What if it’s months or weeks?

Will they revise their "reset" plans?

“If we’re playing well, why wouldn’t you want to keep trying to play well?” Mozeliak said. “There are decision that are made to help us in the here and now, and there are decisions that might help us in the future. You weigh that. Last year, we were feeling like we were onto something, and we went and tried to make some moves to help. Some were more long-term in idea, and some didn’t really move the needle. You tried.

“It’s certainly a lot more fun to be trying to improve your club than to break up your club.”

Mozeliak said a “high-level” edict remains to play the youths.

See where that takes them by late June.

In his office Tuesday, the Post-Dispatch asked manager Oliver Marmol if there’s a point where this season of “runways” and “opportunities” gives way to the familiar push to win of past seasons and that will be reflected in his lineup and game strategies.

There have been a few times this season when a decision was shaped by giving a reliever a challenging assignment to see how he adapted when pinch-hitter wasn’t used because the batter would benefit later from that experience now.

Marmol said he doesn’t see the style of play changing, and a bedrock part of that style is continuing to create playing time for several young players.

“I think at some point you evaluate where you’re at and what’s needed, but for the time being, I think our success is because our players have bought in to a style of play and our staff has its head down trying to make guys better,” Marmol said. “The results have been guys making small improvements.”

Across the diamond this week at Camden Yards is a cautionary tale on the timing of additions.

The Orioles, led by former Cardinals front office executive Mike Elias, went spelunking in the standings for years to resurface with gems from the draft. Their lineup Tuesday night had three first-round picks from the past 10 years and a second-round pick, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who is one of the top all-around players in the majors. The Orioles also boast two other first-round picks as key players: catcher Adley Rutschman and injured starter Grayson Rodriguez. That bundle of young talent brought a bounce back to Camden Yards and led Baltimore to back-to-back playoff appearances the past two seasons. They won 101 games in 2024.

To that group, Baltimore added former Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes but failed to re-sign him this past winter. The timing was right to fortify around the core, but the results have been dismal for Baltimore. They committed nearly $50 million to Tyler O’Neill and restocked their rotation with Charlie Marton and Tuesday’s starter Tomoyuki Sugano. Most of the players added in $68 million of spending this winter have struggled, hence a 19-34 start that already cost manager Brandon Hyde his job.

The Orioles will have other years as their core isn’t changing for the foreseeable future, and they’re still in the early stages of new ownership. Still, a misspent year is a misspent year.

The Cardinals entered the winter prepped to trade veteran players and started the season aware they could be busy at the trade deadline trying to flip short-term players for long-term depth and prospects. Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Erick Fedde all figured to draw interest from outside — but the play heading toward June is changing the internal conversation.

“The standings and where we are physically will be a lot of how that’s dictated,” Mozeliak said. “Right now, I think letting it be very organic has been fun.”

Donovan scratched; Arenado returns

After arriving at the ballpark Tuesday, second baseman Brendan Donovan experience tightness and discomfort in his left hip, forcing a rewrite of the planned lineup. Donovan is considered day to day, and the Cardinals opted to make the move due to the run of day games and expected rainy conditions Tuesday night.

Marmol reorganized the lineup to hit catcher Ivan Herrera No. 3 in Donovan’s spot, move Nolan Gorman from designated hitter to second base, and insert Jordan Walker into the lineup at right field.

The Cardinals have had a run of lineup rewrites in the past week as Willson Contreras (back spasms) and Nolan Arenado (soreness) were unavailable in recent days. Arenado returned to the lineup Tuesday as planned for the first time since plunging into the seats for a pivotal, ninth-inning catch Sunday. Contreras returned to the lineup Monday after missing all three games against the Diamondbacks, and Donovan’s absence allowed Contreras to start at DH on Tuesday.