10 bold predictions for the Cardinals trade deadline and rest of the 2024 season

Bold Prediction #5 - Their pitching remains the same in the second half but the offense starts to heat up

Through the Cardinals' first 96 games of the season, their ERA as a club ranks 17th in all of baseball at 4.02. If you break it down further, their rotation has a 4.44 ERA (21st) and the bullpen has a 3.50 ERA (7th).

I personally think we'll see that rotation ERA look a bit better at the end of the season with the addition of an impact arm and Sonny Gray finishing strong, but we could see that bullpen ERA either remain consistent or slip a little bit if the miles that have already been taxed on their arms cause them to regress some. Overall though, I think the Cardinals know what they have with their staff and it will be more of the same from here on out.

The offense is a different story.

You could argue that the Cardinals' six most important hitters heading into the season have either underperformed or been unavailable so far this season. Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, and Jordan Walker have all been wildly disappointing at the plate while Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar have been productive but missed significant time. I'm not going to tell you that all six of them will be better or more available in the second half, but I have a hard time believing the overall production from those six players will be the same or worse.

Contreras picked up right where he left off upon his return, posting a .866 OPS since coming back from his broken forearm. When Contreras went down with his injury in May, the entire offense around him was brutal to watch, so putting his production back into a lineup that has been substantially better is a big deal. Lars Nootbaar tends to take time to heat up when he returns, but there is no doubt that if he is healthy, his bat is a big upgrade over what they had in his absence.

Arenado began to heat up in the weeks prior to the break, so maybe he can carry that momentum into the second half. Goldschmidt, Gorman, and Walker have far more talent than what their numbers suggest, so it is entirely possible we get better versions of them soon as well.

I'm not sure who the guys are that will produce here soon, but I do have a good feeling that this offense will be much better to end the year than it was to start the year. Over the last 30 days, Contreras, Donovan, and Burleson all have an OPS north of .866, so the Cardinals have their three impact bats in place. It's not hard to imagine that at least two or three of Winn, Arenado, Goldschmidt, Nootbaar, Gorman, Herrera, or Walker can supplement their production along the way as well.