The St. Louis Cardinals were a mediocre 83-79 last season. The forecast for this year is a little better. They will finish in the middle of the National League Central if all goes as expected. The St. Louis Cardinals are a proud franchise, but it is time to sell. Selling will be difficult for a devoted fan base to accept, but the Cardinals have some nice assets and could rebuild by unloading them. They had their first losing season in 30 years in 2023 and should go back there. Do you think it is time for the team to sell?
St. Louis Cardinals Starting Rotation
Sonny Gray is the ace of this team. He had a 3.84 ERA last year. That is good, but not ace material. He will try to shepherd a thin starting pitching rotation. Erick Fedde returned last year after a season in Korea. The former top prospects of the Washington Nationals returned from overseas with an improved arsenal.
Miles Mikolas is the third starter for the Cardinals. He made 32 starts for the fourth consecutive year but had a poor 5.04 ERA. Andre Pallante is the fourth starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He gets lots of ground balls and has a good 3.69 ERA as a starter.
Steven Matz is the fifth starter for the Cardinals. He has one season remaining on his four-year contract. The fragile veteran has pitched just 197 innings in the first three years of the contract. Matthew Liberatore and Quinn Mathews are youngsters who provide the St. Louis Cardinals with rotation depth.
Bullpen
The St. Louis Cardinals do have a good closer. Ryan Helsley led the National League with 49 saves last season and throws 100 MPH. JoJo Romero will set Helsey up. Romero relies on a sinker/slider mix to get batters out. Ryan Fernandez was just a rookie last year and throws very hard. John King will also be in the bullpen for the Cardinals. He pitched to a sterling 2.85 ERA last season. Riley O’Brien and Kyle Leahy add depth to the St. Louis Cardinal bullpen. Neither is great. Look for the youngster Liberatore and Matthews to both log some bullpen innings for the Cardinals.
Catcher
The starting catcher for the Cardinals will be Ivan Herrera. Herrera was named the Cardinals minor league player of the year in 2023. He had an impressive OPS last season and hits many line drives. Pedro Pages will back Herrera up, and Wilson Contreras will provide depth.
Infield
Contreras is slated to move to first base for the St. Louis Cardinals after longtime First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt departed in the offseason and signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. Nolan Gorman will be the team’s second baseman with super substitute Brendan Donovan backing him up. Gorman has 30-home run potential but strikes out far too much.
Masyn Winn is the shortstop. He is an excellent defender but needs to improve upon last year’s .313 OBP if he wants to be the leadoff hitter. Nolan Arenado plays third base for the Cardinals. He is not the superstar he once was but is still a useful player.
Outfield
Lars Nootbaar will play center field for the Cardinals this year. He had two injured list stints for the Cardinals last year but is an excellent hitter. Jordan Walker will play right field for the St. Louis Cardinals this year. He was a rookie in 2023 and is still looking to establish himself in the major leagues after spending much of last year at AAA. Donovan will play left field for the Cardinals this year. He is a strong defender who is listed as a backup at three different positions for the Cardinals.
Designated Hitter
Alec Burleson is the primary designated hitter for the Cardinals this year though he could draw starts at first base and in the outfield for the Cardinals. He does not strike out that much. When Burleson starts in the field, look for Nolan Arenado here.
Management
Cardinal Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. has a fantastic record of keeping the Cardinals in contention. However, he is in a difficult spot this year. Selling will be difficult for the fanbase to stomach. John Mozeliak is the club president. He is in a difficult position as well. Oliver Marmol is charged with keeping this club over .500 as the manager. He could find himself out of a job.
Conclusion
The St. Louis Cardinals are in a difficult spot. They are not talented enough to compete in the National League Central division. Yet, they have some attractive assets. If the Cardinal fall out of contention early look for them to sell at the trade deadline.
