St. Louis Cardinals are ranked as one of the best MLB franchises since 2000

2025 marks the quarter-century mark of the current millennium. Over the last 25 years, baseball fans have been treated to some of the most iconic moments in the game's history. As time passes on, legacies become established and narratives begin to change. Many franchises have lost their prestige, many have found long-desired success, and several have continued their longtime dominance across the game. The St. Louis Cardinals have found themselves in a confusing place at this point in time. The current state of the St. Louis Cardinals will leave fans with recency bias and doubt for their place in the game. But the Cardinals have been one of the most dominant franchises in the sport over the past 25 years.

In an article from The Athletic (subscription required) by Stephen Nesbitt, he used a point system based on postseason success to grade each franchise since 2000. With this grading structure, the Cardinals ended up toward the top. Winning two World Series in 2006 and 2011 would be enough to put any franchise towards the top of this list. But what separates the Cardinals from most of the league is their sustained success. They have reached the postseason in 16 seasons and have had only one season below a .500 record.

This success has been topped off with 10 NLCS appearances and 4 World Series appearances. Every dominant run in MLB leads to franchise icons, where the Cardinals produced legends in Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. They also produced longtime team heroes in Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and David Freese. With all of this, the St. Louis Cardinals are ranked the third-best franchise in all of MLB.

The only two teams ahead of the Cardinals are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The Yankees have won just 2 World Series during this time frame, but have made it to the Fall Classic 5 times. They have not had a single losing season during this time frame, and they continue to be the face of the game. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have revitalized their franchise. The longtime National League foe of the Cardinals has heavily invested in their team since the 2010s and looks to not be slowing down anytime soon. They are the best team over the past decade and will most likely end the 2020s as the best team as well. With the greatest player in MLB history taking charge in Shohei Ohtani and the juggernaut roster behind him, look forward to absolute dominance from the Dodgers in the future.

As we are at the halfway point of the decade, the Cardinals are showing many signs of regression. The franchise is at an all-time low and is stuck in a directionless transition. With a new front office taking over in 2026, maybe the franchise can get back on course. The prestige is still there and is strong enough to handle the current state of the team. But with other organizations evolving and taking over the winning landscape, it won't be long before they start losing ground on their ranking. The Cardinals need to get back on course before the once-iconic brand takes a reputable hit that is long-lasting within MLB.