The Cardinals may be gaining ground on the Milwaukee Brewers, but significant hurdles remain

The St. Louis Cardinals' rebuild looks to be progressing nicely. Although President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom cautioned Cardinals fans not to get out over their skis regarding expectations for next season, the Cardinals appear to be headed in the right direction for the first time in several years. But if St. Louis wants to reclaim the divisional crown, they'll have to knock off one of the most successful small-market teams in recent memory by uncovering the secrets of the vaunted Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers have come out on top of the National League Central division in each of the last four seasons, and it hasn't been a stroke of luck. The Brewers have proven themselves to be the class of the National League when it comes to drafting, developing and investing in the right players, and their most obvious example of the former two is their bona fide ace, flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski.

Baseball America's 67th-ranked prospect in the 2022 draft, Misiorowski arrived on the professional scene armed with a hard fastball, a sweeping slider and little else. His control was also a major question mark, and Baseball America considered him to be "an enormous wild card" when it came to how he would develop. The Brewers proceeded to teach Misiorowski a power curveball, and they even managed to rein in his control to make him a no-doubt starting pitcher.

The Cardinals don't have a one-for-one match to Misiorowski (few teams do), but Bloom's flurry of trades to acquire a hoard of pitching prospects netted them several promising arms, including Brandon Clarke, a left-hander whom Baseball America's Geoff Pontes compared to Misiorowski in terms of their ability to dominate a single inning. If the Cardinals can follow Milwaukee's lead and help Clarke reach his immense ceiling, and if they prove that they can develop other promising arms as well, they will make up plenty of ground on the Brewers in regards to pitching development.

Aside from the typical draft-and-develop model that small-market teams generally need to follow to find success, the Brewers have also picked players off of the scrap heap and turned them into valuable contributors. Andrew Vaughn, Quinn Priester, Erick Fedde and others had been left for dead before the Brewers revitalized their careers.

The Cardinals haven't had this level of success when it comes to reviving careers that were on life support since the days of Dave Duncan as the pitching coach, but as with their prospect development, they look to be on the right path. Dustin May was a frequently injured pitcher whom the Cardinals took a flier on, and for a few starts in May and June, he looked unhittable. The Cardinals flipped him and JoJo Romero to the Brewers for two solid prospects — one of the few deals that Milwaukee might come to rue if they don't win the World Series.

Buy-in throughout the organization is the next key to the Cardinals' success

In an ESPN article from Jesse Rogers, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wondered if the Brewers would make more mistakes if they had more money to spend on players. According to Attanasio, the members of the front office attempt to look forward three years every time they consider making a move. Milwaukee's owner credited the Cardinals for that line of thinking.

Over the past few seasons, Brewers executives have focused on accruing players who are conducive to an old-fashioned small-ball style of baseball: Put the ball in the play and get on base. Milwaukee hit the second-fewest home runs of any team in the major leagues, but they also swung at the fewest pitches out of the strike zone and had the fifth-highest contact rate when swinging at pitches within the zone.

The Cardinals looked to be on the same track for a while, recreating their famed "Whiteyball" approach early in 2026 when outfielder Victor Scott took baseball by storm with his bunting barrage. It appeared that the Cardinals were about to utilize speed and defense to overrun the league. Alas, Scott's exciting play ended up as a mirage, and St. Louis was unable to deliver that brand of baseball for the rest of the year.

The members of Milwaukee's front office are clearly in lockstep when it comes to the types of players they want to acquire, and those throughout the organization have also wholeheartedly bought into their roles in helping the Brewers hum like a well-oiled machine. Rogers' article mentioned how Brewers general manager Matt Arnold works to make sure all of the different departments are closely connected and are providing a consistent message to their players throughout every level.

For several years, this communication was a weak spot for the Cardinals. Paul Schwendel, a pitcher who played in the Cardinals farm system in 2021, spoke about how some members of the minor league coaching staff and player development executives were dishing out conflicting advice on how to approach pitching and attack hitters. If that type of inconsistent messaging was prominent in all facets of the game, it's no wonder that so many prospects seemed to peter out at the highest level.

The Cardinals have hopefully made great strides in that aspect of the sport, and Jordan Walker's breakout and JJ Wetherholt's excellent rookie campaign seem to point to that being the case. But while cohesion throughout every part of the organization is critical for success, fans shouldn't overlook the importance of the manager on his team's fortunes.

Accountability is a big deal for the Brewers and manager Pat Murphy, and an MLB.com article pointed to how he holds players' feet to the fire, such as his removal of pitcher Robert Gasser in the middle of a plate appearance following a passed ball, and his yanking of catcher William Contreras after he failed to run out a grounder. In an article from The Athletic (subscription required), Murphy was quoted as saying "It's not about our feelings."

Oli Marmol has improved by leaps and bounds as the Cardinals skipper, and he has shown that he isn't afraid to stand up for his players on the field. But when Riley O'Brien exhibited massive problems down the stretch as the team's closer, Marmol decided to ride out the storm with O'Brien at the back of his bullpen instead of replacing him.

O'Brien had been grappling with mental stressors during his rough stretch, and Marmol had to approach the situation delicately. Would Murphy have pulled O'Brien from the spot with no questions asked? Maybe, but if so, that sort of decision would require the O'Brien and the team to be fully committed to the manager's philosophies, just as those on the Brewers seem to be subscribed to Murphy.

Other teams hungry for a championship have been plucking Milwaukee's brain trust left and right, but because the Brewers front office, player development, coaches and players are all on the same page while pushing toward a common goal, they haven't missed a beat.

The Cardinals are beginning to find their way out of the darkness that was the late John Mozeliak era, and assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio has played a large role in pushing the Cardinals into the modern age. Other teams are now taking note of Cerfolio's accomplishments, and he could be a hot commodity for a front office role elsewhere in the league.

But even if Cerfolio heads to another club, the Cardinals won't be rudderless without him. As long as there is buy-in and commitment around the organization, and as long as the same philosophy permeates throughout every level after his potential departure, the Cardinals will once again provide the Brewers with a worthy competitor down the line.

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