Los Angeles Dodgers - Jack Flaherty, Tommy Edman, and Joe Kelly
This is my playoff team, not for the former Cardinals players though it certainly doesn't hurt. I'll be pulling for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in his first-ever playoff run. While I understand that may make me a villain, there's more of a case for Cardinals fans to root for LA than I initially thought. Three former fan-favorite Cardinals players are on this roster, both acquired at the trade deadline.
Jack Flaherty is a bit of a controversial character amongst Cardinals fans, but there's no denying his second-half run in 2019 was nothing short of spectacular. The rest of his Cardinals career was mired by injury, and, unfortunately, he never panned out as the ace of the future. Through 15 starts following the All-Star Break, Flaherty recorded a 0.91 ERA and 0.715 WHIP in 2019. This brilliant run led him to finish fourth in NL Cy Young voting, while the Cardinals made their deepest Postseason run since 2014. While Cardinal fans may have mixed opinions on Flaherty, there's no doubt he gave his best effort for St. Louis. Back home in LA, it's great to see Jack reaching his true potential after he was acquired from the Tigers.
Tommy Edman, however, was the definition of the Cardinal Way during his time in St. Louis. Coming up as a scrappy utility player in 2019, he supplanted fan favorite Kolten Wong in 2021 much to my own dismay. However, he quickly won myself and most of Cardinal Nation over with his great defense and amazingly clutch moments. (He owns Josh Hader and now Shota Imanaga.) While his Cardinals tenure ended unceremoniously with a series of nagging injuries in 2024, Edman will always be a fan favorite in St. Louis as one of the easiest players to root for.
Lastly, Joe Kelly, a reliever who's grown in notoriety with the Dodgers, came up in the Cardinals' system as a starting pitcher. He made a World Series start in 2013 before being traded to the Red Sox in the John Lackey deal. Eventually, he transitioned into a bullpen role with Boston and had stints with LA and Chicago before rejoining the Dodgers at last year's trade deadline. He'll always be a fun personality to root for.
I know the "checkbook baseball" Dodgers (Miles Mikolas' words, not mine) aren't everyone's favorite. I certainly wish the Cardinals could spend as lavishly as them, but they're a fun roster with a pair of former St. Louis fan favorites. I completely understand otherwise, but I'm extending my invitation to hop on the Dodger train.