The Cardinals have assembled the most electric battery in baseball

The St. Louis Cardinals have gone through a major transitional period changing the guard of the franchise. Longtime battery mates Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are officially retired from the game and are happily pursuing their new careers.

The Cardinals have invested heavily over the past two seasons in replacing the legends that stood before. Not only does the team have to replace the talent being lost, but they have to replace the winning culture, the passion, and the intensity that was a mainstay in St. Louis for twenty years.

The Cardinals started by replacing Yadier Molina with their arch-rivals' backstop in Willson Contreras. Contreras has set out to fill the void of losing Molina by bringing his winning experience and his intensity to the Cardinals to bring them back to championship glory. No matter how 2023 ended, Contreras played to his expected level and was one of the best offensive catchers in baseball. His defense will always be of question, and the more glaring issue is how he handles the pitching staff. But he was paid to be an offensive force which he is. So far the investment is proving to be a valuable one.

After the retirement of Waino, the Cardinals jumped quickly this off-season to rebuild the pitching depth. The biggest addition was adding Sonny Gray as the team's newly established ace. Face value, Gray does not seem to be an ace to many fans. But when looking deeper into his analytics, Gray is one of the top pitchers in all of baseball. He finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting in 2023 for the Minnesota Twins and was a sabermetrics darling with his new lethal sweeper.

He has already been named the 2024 Opening Day starter versus the Shohei Ohtani-led Los Angeles Dodgers on March 28th. He wants to be in St. Louis and he wants to be the leader of the pitching staff. His passion is already noticed in camp and will be contagious to everyone in camp.

The Cardinals have been aggressive in keeping a competitive roster going forward. To return to the Cardinal Way of winning, it starts within the clubhouse. The team needs veterans to step up and show the younger players how it is done at the highest level. Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras might be newer faces in the clubhouse, but they are the most known presence in the clubhouse. The lifeless team from 2023 is now the past and the 2024 squad is looking to start the year off with better vibes and chemistry.

The front office is looking for a winning product, players are looking for more experience to lead them, and Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras are looking to add passion to the clubhouse.