The 6 biggest concerns we have about the Cardinals as the 2024 season begins

The St. Louis Cardinals are just days away from beginning the 2024 season, and while I am optimistic that the club will get back to its winning ways this year, that optimism is not without a variety of concerns.

If you read my posts on the site, or especially if you follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter), you may be of the opinion, or have seen the opinion thrown around, that I am a front office defender, or what makes me chuckle every time, that I "carry Mo's water".

My goal with writing has always been to have informed, thoughtful conversations about the state of the Cardinals. While there are a lot of things the Cardinals do that frustrate me or make me scratch my head, I just don't find it helpful to rant about those things on end. Instead, I voice my frustrations, but I also try to present what the Cardinals appear to be doing, and how it could turn out.

Even if I disagree with the strategy, it doesn't mean we shouldn't dive into how it could work.

Prime Example: The Cardinals' strategy to rebuild their rotation.

At the beginning of the offseason, I was clear that I believed the Cardinals needed two front-line starting pitchers. They got one in Sonny Gray, but instead of getting a second top arm, they went for Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn.

I disagree with this strategy. I do not like that they went in that direction. I think the margin for error with this rotation is razor-thin, and they should have been extremely aggressive this offseason after one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

But that doesn't mean their plan can't work. Just because I disagree with the plan and I don't like it, doesn't mean we cannot talk about the ways it can work out in their favor.

Today though, I want to get into the concerns I have with this team, because the concerns are real. Even though I believe they'll be a contender again this year, 2023 showed that the range of outcomes is wider than we think. There are things that can derail this team once again, and now that games are about to begin, we'll see if they can overcome these concerns or if they'll be derailed by them once again.

Here are the six biggest concerns I have with this Cardinals team as the season begins.