Fansided

Best and worst case scenario for every MLB team in 2019

By Brad Weiss

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after scoring a run during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after scoring a run during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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Paul Goldschmidt
TAMPA, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Paul Goldschmidt #46 of the St. Louis Cardinals runs to third base in the third inning against the New York Yankees during the Grapefruit League spring training game at Steinbrenner Field on March 06, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of those teams that may be flying under the radar a bit right now, but they won’t be once the season starts. The organization made a huge move when they brought in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who may be the best overall first baseman in the entire league, and should bring an incredible presence in the middle of this Cards lineup.

Last season, the Cardinals won 88 games, finishing third in the NL Central, and missing out of the playoffs. They fired manager Mike Matheny, replacing him with Mike Shildt, who went 40-28 down the stretch after Matheny was let go. Miles Mikolas is a solid ace at the top of the rotation, and the pitching staff as a whole is much-improved over last season.

Best case scenario

The NL Central is going to be a fun division to watch this season, as it boasts not only the Cardinals, but also the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, two teams who made the playoffs last season. The best case is that somehow the Cardinals come out of nowhere to blow past both those teams, locking up the division, and not having to play in a one-game playoff as a Wild Card team.

Worst case scenario

Another third place finish in the division, and another year missing out on the playoffs. If this happens, it will be the organization’s fourth straight season without playing in the postseason, and for this franchise, that is just way too long.

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