Cardinals: One team St. Louis won’t have to worry about in 2022

Why the St. Louis Cardinals won’t have to worry about the Colorado Rockies in 2022.

The 2021 season is not over yet, but on Saturday afternoon, it became clear the St. Louis Cardinals had one less team to worry about in 2022 and beyond.

The Colorado Rockies.

Almost a month into the season, the Rockies and general manager Jeff Bridich parted ways. They named Bill Schmidt as the interim GM and took the interim tag off him Saturday, naming him the fourth GM in franchise history.

They did not interview any external candidates. They could have gathered information from 3-4 other teams, perhaps more, on what a competent organization looks like. Instead, they chose not to because, well, they are the Rockies. Now, they are moving forward with an executive who got nothing for Trevor Story at the trade deadline and has not signed Jon Gray to an extension despite the righty making it clear that he wants to stay in Colorado.

Yikes.

The Cardinals have not had to worry about the Rockies for years. With Schmidt at the helm, and Dick Monfort as owner, that does not figure to change in 2022 and beyond, especially with Story set to leave in free agency. Gray should return, but how much of a difference can he make if the Rockies have a lineup that will struggle to score?

There is a chance that Story’s next game will come with the Cardinals, as they will be in the market for a shortstop and have one of his best friends, Nolan Arenado, primed to lead their recruitment. He would make a playoff team that much more dangerous, perhaps vaulting them to the World Series contenders that many believed they were entering 2021.

Losing Story was enough to eliminate the Rockies from contention in 2022. But having Schmidt at the helm, and not even having the courtesy to interview outside candidates, makes Colorado a team not have to worry about in 2022 and beyond.