It's time for the St. Louis Cardinals to look ahead to the offseason

I have not written for some time, mostly because I am not sure what else can be said about this season.  You have probably heard it all by now.  The St. Louis Cardinals have the worst record in the National League, and only the Royals and the dumpster fire A’s have won fewer games.  With more than one-third of the season in the books, the Cards are in last place in the lowly National League Central and coming off a sweep at the hands of the Pirates.  Ouch.

There are no more excuses for the team’s performance.  We are too far along in the season to blame a rusty start.  At the time of this writing, the Cards have already played 61 games and need to go 56-45 the rest of the way just to finish at .500.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t have much confidence that they can even do it, let alone win the division.

The Cardinals need to fix their eyes on the 2024 season

You have probably also heard about their “expected” won-loss record, which is better than their actual record, although not by much.  So what.  Their “expected” won-loss record means jack squat.  The “expected” won-loss record and $14 will buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks on half price day.  Players, and the occasional managerial decision, win ballgames, not statistics.

Unfortunately, the players have not stepped up.  Coming into this season, we all knew that starting pitching would be a problem, but who saw the bullpen imploding the way it has?  The offense has shown flashes of brilliance, but the Cards can’t seem to get the big hit or drive in the big run.

The other day against the Pirates the Cards apparently had the bases loaded in three straight innings and could not push a single run across the plate.  At least that’s what I heard, because I didn’t have the stomach to watch the entire game.  That simply does not happen to good teams, the same way good teams aren’t dominated by an octogenarian like Rich Hill.

Speaking of the manager, I don’t know that firing Oli Marmol is the solution, mainly because I don’t know that there is a solution. He has had some issues with a couple of players and has made some questionable decisions, but I can’t place the blame solely on him.  Maybe with a more experienced manager, the Cards would have won a couple more games, but even then, they would still be below .500.

We could look forward to the trade deadline, but I just don’t see the front office making the kind of move or moves needed to drastically improve this team, even assuming that there will be a player or players available with that kind of potential impact. Does anyone really think that Shane Bieber can turn this season around for the Cardinals?

I also suspect that John Mozeliak may be reluctant to trade prospects, given his recent track record with Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia, Zac Gallen, and Sandy Alcantara.  Potential trade chips at the MLB level, specifically Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson, may have already lost some of their trade value due to injuries and subpar performances.

I try to remain optimistic, but also realistic.  My preseason prediction was a division title and an early exit from the playoffs.  Although it pains me to say it, I now don’t think we can win the division or even get one of the wild card slots. 

It may be time to start dreaming about the offseason and the potential moves the Cards will not make.