Comparing the St. Louis Cardinals lineup to playoff teams

San Diego Padres

1.  LF Jurickson Profar
2.  RF Juan Soto
3.  3B Manny Machado
4.  2B Jake Cronenworth
5.  DH Brandon Drury
6.  1B Josh Bell
7.  SS Ha-Seong Kim
8.  CF Trent Grisham 
9.  C Austin Nola 

At the 2022 trade deadline, the San Diego Padres stole the headlines with trades for Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Brandon Drury to add to their already legit lineup. Many thought their additions and the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. would make them unstoppable, but this have gone as bad as they could for the Padres.

Tatis Jr. was suspended the rest of the year for PED usage, and each of Soto, Bell, and Drury have struggled since coming over to San Diego. While their lineup appears to be one of the best in baseball on paper, it has been far from it for the 2nd half of the season.

Even with St. Louis struggling down the stretch, their track record of success this season makes them the clear winner here. At their best, the Padres could be argued as the better lineup, but their OPS is 45 points lower their St. Louis on the season and has not lived up to expectations.

The biggest X-factor in their lineup may be their biggest name, Juan Soto. Soto has mostly struggled as a Padre, but his last 7 games he is slashing .423/.545/.769 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. This kind of production is capable of carrying an offense in a series, and could propel their lineup to previous expectations.

Verdict: St. Louis

New York Mets

1.  CF Brandon Nimmo
2.  RF Starling Marte
3.  SS Francisco Lindor
4.  1B Pete Alonso 
5.  DH Darin Ruf/Daniel Vogelbach
6.  LF Mark Canha 
7.  2B Jeff McNeil
8.  3B Eduardo Escobar 
9.  C Tomas Nido 

The New York Mets lineup is much improved in 2022, and is probably one of the more underrated lineups in the league. Their star studded rotation gets most of the attention, but their lineup can compete with most in baseball.

Offseason additions Eduardo Escobar and Starling Marte have been huge for the Mets all year long, and trade deadline acquisitions Darin Ruf, Daniel Vogelbach, and Mark Canha have deepened their lineup for postseason action.

Still, the Cardinals have the edge here. Their top two hitters, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, are clearly better than Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. When stacking up the supporting cast of each team, the Mets may have the edge here, but guys like Albert Pujols, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Tommy Edman have the ability to change the game just as much as the Mets’ secondary players.

Verdict: St. Louis

Atlanta Braves

1.  RF Ronald Acuna Jr. 
2.  SS Dansby Swanson 
3.  3B Austin Riley
4.  1B Matt Olson
5.  DH William Contreras 
6.  C Travis d’Arnaud 
7.  CF Michael Harris
8.  LF Eddie Rosario
9.  2B Vaughn Grissom

The Atlanta Braves are the reigning World Series champions, and even after losing franchise icon Freddie Freeman, their lineup is still one of the best in the game.

Sporting the 2nd best OPS in the majors this season, the club is finding production from their World Series core, rookies, offseason additions, and midseason accusations alike. Austin Riley has played at an MVP level for the club, and Matt Olson is really beginning to fill in the hole left by Freeman this offseason.

Rookies Michael Harris and Vaughn Grissom have provided the club with big hits filling in for injured veterans, and are now established members of their lineup. Somehow, this lineup could improve even more soon, if 2B Ozzie Albies is able to return from his injury soon.

As good as the St. Louis lineup is, if Atlanta’s is playing like it can, it has a clear edge over the Cardinals. The Cardinals have the best two hitters in a matchup with the Atlanta, but the Braves arguably have the next 5-7 best hitters, depending on where you would rank Pujols compared to their bats.

Verdict: Braves

Los Angeles Dodgers

1.  RF Mookie Betts
2.  SS Trea Turner
3.  1B Freddie Freeman
4.  C Will Smith 
5.  3B Max Muncy 
6.  DH Justin Turner
7.  LF Chris Taylor 
8.  CF Trayce Thompson
9.  2B Gavin Lux 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, as we all have all grown accustomed to, are head and shoulders above the rest of the league in almost every way, including their lineup.

Their lineup ranks 1st in baseball in OPS at .783 (20 points above the next best team), runs with 812 (43 above second) and pretty much every other major category. This is thanks to three MVP level players in Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Trea Turner, as well as a lineup of guys who just know how to hit.

This mix of top end talent and a deep lineup is what sets them above everyone else in the game. Some lineups can beat you by wearing you down with tough at-bats all game long, while others hope to beat you with their best three guys. Los Angeles does both, which is why they will likely score runs throughout the game in their postseason matchups.

While St. Louis has the firepower to put up a fight, they can’t compete with the best of the Dodgers hitting. Any team facing Los Angeles in the playoffs has to hope they go cold for the series, or else they should pretty easily beat any opponent that comes their way.

Freeman in particular has been impossible for St. Louis to handle this season. The first baseman slashed .818/.857/1.364 with 1 HR and 2 RBI in 14 PA. Those are video game type numbers and just illustrate how insane their lineup can be at times.

Verdict: Dodgers