When the rain finally lifted after a 90-minute delay and the St. Louis Cardinals opened their season in front of 47,395 red-clad fans at Busch Stadium, two long-familiar sights were a bit of a surprise to anyone who followed the offseason rumor mill: Nolan Arenado coming out of the home dugout for a curtain call after a home run and Sonny Gray shutting down the opposition in a Cardinals uniform.
There was a feeling across the industry that the Cardinals could be a major storyline when the offseason began and that both players could be wearing new uniforms by Opening Day.