St. Louis Cardinals set sights on holding Cubs in 2016

1. Is there enough rotation depth?

This is my number one concern with the St. Louis Cardinals at the moment, even after acquiring starter Mike Leake.  With the departure of John Lackey and Lance Lynn undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals’ have to replace 40 percent of the 979 2/3 innings covered by their starters in 2015.

Getting Adam Wainwright back will go along way in doing that, but is that enough?  As always every year, there are perpetual injury concerns with Jaime Garcia, and Carlos Martinez is working his way back from a shoulder injury that prematurely ended his season.

I will go ahead and answer my question from the above paragraph and say that Adam Wainwright will be the National League leader in wins this season with 20+.  The competitive drive that Wainwright posses will mark for an epic comeback seaso

The St. Louis Cardinals did make their first significant free-agency splash in late December as they agreed to terms on a deal with Mike Leake who would help fill that innings gap.

Leake has made at least 30 starts in four straight season.  With injuries and setbacks inevitable, the Cardinals will also most likely need contributions from their young talent in Tim Cooney, Tyler Lyons and Marco Gonzales at some point during the season.

Next: Where will an uptick in offense come from?

2. Where will an uptick in offense come from?

After being left stranded at the alter by Jason Heyward, the Cardinals pivoted their pursuit towards pitching.  That meant that a club ranked 24th in runs scored last season will rely on many of those same players to produce at a higher clip in 2016.

It is most definitely a calculated risk that the St. Louis Cardinals are willing to gamble with, but one that the production for Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk when giving both a full season of at-bats.

Having Matt Holliday and Matt Adams healthy again could boost the team’s power output.  As we look at Holliday, with the shape this man keeps himself in he is going to be very capable of hitting 20+ home runs as he is still one of the better hitters in the game today, that takes very solid at bats.

With the addition of Jedd Gyorko should allow the St. Louis Cardinals to better keep their middle infielders rested and sharp.  This was a problem St. Louis ran into during the later half of the season.  It played true to two of the Cardinals middle infielders, Wong and Peralta.  I also believe that this lack of depth in the infield caused an early and unusual exit from the 2015 playoffs.

As I’m sure the addition of Gyorko broke many Cardinal fans hearts’ as the Cardinals fan favorite Jon Jay was traded.  In my opinion this was one of the key moves that went under the radar that GM John Mozeliak made.

This freed up an already log jammed outfield, but more importantly giving our middle infielders a day or two off and believe me Gyorko will make an impact as he is only 26 and does provide some pop for his size and position.

Next: Will health be an issue again?

3. Will health be an issue again?

This is right up there with the very first concern that I had with the St. Louis Cardinals, as the Cardinals’ encountered some stifling injuries to their best players last season, but remains number three on my list primarily because of the season St. Louis had without their star players.

Though the Cardinals led the Majors with 100 wins in 2015, they had to navigate through seemingly constant injury issues to get there.  Without the same outfield and pitching depth they assembled last season, the Cardinals cannot afford to lose as many key players again if they want to repeat that success.

What happened last season was a “once in a life time” kind of regular season.  To lose the number of players St. Louis lost and not only just “players,” but stars to the St. Louis Cardinals and to have St. Louis not only win their division, but also finish with the best record in baseball is unheard of!

If you look at the Cubs and wipe out Anthony Rizzo, Jon Lester, and Addison Russell you would be looking at a team with a losing record.  As long as GM John Mozeliak can bring in a few more guys rather it be through free agency or via trade, it will be an improvement from last season.

Garcia, Martinez, Adams, Grichuk and Gonzales are among those looking to bounce back from injury, you could even throw Holliday in that mix as well.  The St. Louis Cardinals will be able to gauge their health early, too, as Yadier Molina’s second thumb surgery could affect his readiness of Opening Day.

Next: Does general manager John Mozeliak have a surprise move up his sleeve?

4. Does general manager John Mozeliak have a surprise move up his sleeve?

Thus far, the Cardinals’ offseason has been defined more by what they did not get done (luring David Price and/or Heyward to St. Louis) than what has been accomplished.  The acquisition of Gyorko and the signings of  Bryan Pena and Jonathan Broxton helped fill needs, but none was the blockbuster move the Cards seemed poised to make entering the winter meetings.

The Cardinals did make their biggest splash just before Christmas, with the club signing Leake to a five-year, $80 million deal.  That move solidified the rotation, but there remain questions about potential vulnerable spots on the offensive side.  With the biggest concern on who is going to replace Heyward and supply the lineup with power?

As I have written in a previous article , there are two free-agents that stick out to me that would be a good fit for St. Louis, I do not feel that Mozeliak is finished yet on improving this team.  Whether he offers another contract to a free agent or makes a trade for a player mid-season.

Mozeliak has cautioned that the organization will likely shy away from adding an impact bat, but he is also ready to act should asking prices drop or a new opportunity present itself.

Next: Can the Cardinals hold off the Cubs?

5. Can the Cardinals hold off the Cubs?

After watching the Cubs celebrate at their own expense in October, the Cardinals saw Chicago get two premier players in Lackey and Heyward to highlight their bold offseason.

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The addition of those key pieces, along with the signing of Ben Zobrist, positions the Cubs to remain relevant for some time, and they appear to be the biggest threat to the Cardinals’ run of three straight division titles.  There is still something that the Cubs are going to lack that St. Louis has plenty of, and that would be “experience.”

Yes, the Cubs have Lester and Zobrist who are two very good players and World Series champions, but the team as a whole does not have near the experience throughout the season and into the postseason than what the St. Louis Cardinals do.

I personally still see St. Louis as the favorite to win the division, even though there are many people that have already written the Cards’ off, however the division still comes through St. Louis.

Next: Could Gerardo Parra help the Cardinals outfield in 2016?

With Chicago surging, the Cardinals are going to lean on the same core that held the Cubs off in the 2015 National League Central race.  The two clubs will meet 19 times in 2016–the first clash coming on April 18th–in what should be a thrilling next chapter in a deep-seeded rivalry.  This should be a wild and interesting season for the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals, so hold on tight and let the ride begin.