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When the Cardinals welcome the Minnesota Twins to Busch Stadium for opening day March 27, more than facing a former World Series opponent will feel disorienting. The Cardinals begin their 134th season in the National League openly acknowledging the pursuit of a 12th World Series championship is not their divining rod, even after a pennant drought of a dozen years, six without a playoff series win and two with nary a trickle of postseason appearances. The current front office, under president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, is preparing the organization for next season's front office, overseen by president-in-waiting Chaim Bloom. There is an emphasis on player development when it comes to spending and Bloom's concentration in ’25.

The Cardinals called their approach a “reset� all winter. By spring, it had been renamed a “transition.� Pick a "re-" word for this rebranding. Just don’t call it a rebuild.

Read the season preview coverage from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Post-Dispatch sports team: