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Comparing the St. Louis Cardinals lineup to playoff teams

By Josh Jacobs

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 11: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The home run was the 697th of Pujols career, moving him to 4th place all time in MLB home runs. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 11: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The home run was the 697th of Pujols career, moving him to 4th place all time in MLB home runs. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Brendan Donovan #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals connects for a grand slam. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Brendan Donovan #33 of the St. Louis Cardinals connects for a grand slam. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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

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