Grading the St. Louis Cardinals offseason using 3 different perspectives

Actual offseason grade: B-

Overall, all things considered, I would grade the St. Louis Cardinals offseason as a B-.

Given the constraints the front office was given, I thought they did a really nice job addressing a ton of needs with the resources they were given. But as I've already alluded to multiple times, it's a failure on the part of ownership to not be willing to spend big, especially after a disaster season in 2023.

I get that there is uncertainty with the RSN revenue beyond this coming season. I understand that they lost out on some revenue in 2023 based on their poor performance. But you're the St. Louis Cardinals. If there was ever a time to excite the fanbase and spend bigger than you have in recent years, it's when you desperately need to rebound from the mess you found yourself in last season.

The rotation, as unexciting as it is, should be much improved. It's not a top rotation in baseball, but the odds of it being the dumpster fire it was last season are low. The bullpen was a mess in 2023 and now could be one of the better groups in baseball. The offense, though it underperformed last season (particularly in the second half), did not need much attention and the Cardinals are right to expect progression from young talent and some rebound seasons from their cornerstone corner infielders.

The Cardinals had the worst record in the National League Central last year and should now be the favorite to win the division in 2024. I get that winning the NL Central is not something worth bragging about, but increasing their win total from 71 in 2023 to 85-90 wins in 2024 would be no small feat.

And yet, with all of that being said and the very exciting front office additions they made, they can't be much higher than a B- to me because they missed out on acquiring the second most important item on the agenda this offseason - a second front-line starter. Now, the Cardinals never said they were going to get that guy, but we all know it's the difference between them being an NL Central pennant contender and a true contender in the National League.

Sure, maybe they go out and get that guy at the trade deadline, and if they do, the Cardinals can quickly right this wrong. But that will also require a bold move they typically don't make, and after shrinking back from the challenge this offseason, it'll be tough to convince fans they'll step up to the plate if the opportunity arises in July. Sure, they did what they needed to do, but not making that extra move that signals they are truly serious about being a great team now is what continues to frustrate Cardinals Nation.