With Opening Day fast approaching, The St. Louis Cardinals are flying under the radar, for better, or for worse. Over the offseason, the Cardinals made many transactions, but none that many fans would consider moving the needle. The best signing on paper is adding respected veteran pitcher Sonny Gray, who is seen as the potential ace this season. Unfortunately, Gray is already injured and on the 10-Day Injured List, effectively scratching him from his planned opening-day start.
Other moves included signing familiar faces Lance Lynn and Matt Carpenter, both in their late 30s. The most recent transaction played into the “nursing home” jokes, with longtime San Francisco Giants Shortstop, Brandon Crawford, who is also 37. The rest of the transactions included adding pitchers like Andrew Kittledge, Kyle Gibson, and Keynan Middleton. Significant departures include outfielder Tyler O’Neil and pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
Despite all these moves made, both fans and experts alike believe that this isn’t enough to put the team in a contending position. Despite the
criticism, the Cardinals are considered the favorites to win the NL Central per FanGraphs, which says a lot more about the weakness of the division than the Cardinal’s strength.
Right now, the Cards are projected to finish 83-79, which is a huge improvement from their previous 71-91 finish, the worst for the ballclub since 1995. I’m sure that many Cardinal fans would be over the moon with another division championship, but is it sustainable? Di-
vision foes might be rebuilding now, but the Cardinals can’t bank on this being the case forever.
Recent extension to controversial manager Oli Marmol was met with heavy skepticism by fans, but a strong season this year would be a big turnaround, especially capped with a playoff run. Cardinals fans have become so accustomed to a perennial contender, that many are in denial about a rebuild, so this makes the 2024 season make or break. A playoff appearance should be the minimum, and anything else should lead to a complete teardown, a fired coach, and many trades.
With all of the negativity out of the way, what the Cardinals have going for them this year is a new-look pitching staff and a consistent field. Veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado provide elite defense and offense, young up-and-comers Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Jordan Walker have shown All-star potential already in their young careers. Utility guys like Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan give stellar options in the lineup as well, and Lars Nootbar figures to rotate in when he returns after suffering a broken rib in Spring Training. So far in the young season, Goldschmidt has seemed to be the only bright spot, with the rest of the lineup all struggling to get on base consistently.
Despite Gray’s injury, the Cardinals still have enough depth to hang in the starting rotation. Miles Mikolas, Zack Thompson, and Steven Matz are the three returners, with Gibson and Lynn the remainder. While this is a very experienced staff, it definitely comes across as a much weaker counterpart to the field players. I think many fans have the right to complain about not re-signing Montgomery, who recently signed with the Diamondbacks, as he would be the perfect complement to this rotation. Another lefty who could be the dark horse in the bullpen, is Matthew Liberatore, a once highly touted prospect coming off a very rough year in which he was demoted from starter to the bullpen. The potential is still there and this year might be his breakout.
This season will be a franchise definer, with whatever the result is, will affect the Front Office’s decision-making for years to come. As someone who struggles with predictions, I have this team barely missing the playoffs with an 80-82 record, and at The Bugle deadline,
they are off to a one and three. If that prediction comes true, is it enough to save Marmol’s job or is it time to tear down the house and rebuild?
