Could the Cardinals follow the path of the 2021 San Francisco Giants?

2025 is not expected to be a very good year for the Cardinals. Fans have accepted that, and that can be seen thanks to low attendance numbers. However, the Cardinals are actually off to a pretty good start. Despite a series loss to the Angels, they went 4-2 in their first homestand and now head to Boston for a date with the Red Sox.

Even in the games they lost, they fought and didn't quit. Brant Brown's approach as the new hitting coach appears to be working, and even when the Cardinals get down, they can fight their way back into games, as shown yesterday in the series finale.

While the Cardinals aren't expected to make the playoffs this year, they're currently showing that preseason projections mean nothing and that the odds can be defied. In fact, come to think of it, they're showing some early parallels to a team that defied the odds a few years back.

The Cardinals are mirroring the 2021 San Francisco Giants.

Back in 2021, the Giants were not expected to do much of anything. In fact, the NL West was expected to be a two-horse race between the Dodgers and Padres. But out of nowhere came the Giants.

They didn't do anything sexy that offseason. Granted, they did more than the Cardinals did this past offseason, but they didn't do anything flashy. They signed value free agents to piece together their roster and make the most out of what they had.

That year, the Giants discovered a few hidden gems in LaMonte Wade Jr., Camilo Doval, and Logan Webb. They also had Kevin Gausman at the top of their rotation. All the pieces fell into place, and they ultimately won 107 games and barely edged out the Dodgers to win their first NL West crown since 2012.

So far this year, the Cardinals seem to be getting the most out of some of their young players, much like the Giants did. For example, we saw Ivan Herrera hit three home runs against the Angels. Victor Scott II is also performing very well, and Alec Burleson has picked up where he left off. Even Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Luken Baker are off to good starts.

Similarly to the 2021 Giants, the Cardinals are going to have to platoon some guys. In order to play Gorman and Baker, they need to give certain players days off. But it actually gives Oli Marmol a good deal of flexibility with his lineups.

Against lefties, Burleson sits while Baker, a right-handed bat, gets the starts. On some days, other players such as Walker could get a break, which then allows for the Cardinals to start Gorman. This means that Marmol has a lot of weapons at his disposal.

And if all the pieces fall into place, similarly to how they did with the Giants, then the Cardinals could be a threat to win a lot of games. That year, the Giants also acquired Kris Bryant from the Cubs. I don't expect that the Cardinals will make a huge splash like that at the deadline, but they could still add some very valuable pieces that enhance the roster and give Marmol more to work with.

I must say that right now, I'm feeling an emotion I didn't expect to feel with the 2025 Cardinals, and that's excitement. The idea of them mirroring the success of the Giants in 2021 is a very intriguing concept, and it's always great to watch a team defy the odds.

Let's just hope that if the Cardinals do mirror that Giants team, their story ends on a better note. The Giants lost the NLDS in five games to the Dodgers, who had previously eliminated the Cardinals in the Wild Card game. It was a botched check-swing call that sank the Giants that night.

It would be cool if for the 40th anniversary of the 1985 team, the Cardinals make it back to the World Series and this time close the deal to win their 12th title.