MLB progress report: Grading the best and worst teams in MLB
By Lbaquero
St. Louis Cardinals progress report: D-
From the Willson Contreras drama to poor roster construction, and managerial mistakes, the Cardinals are an utter train wreck. Contreras was signed to a five-year, $87.5 million deal, only to have the rug pulled out from under him at catcher. Only a week later, Jack Flaherty wanted him back, and now he’s behind home plate yet again! He’s been in the lineup every day since May 17. While the Cards’ plan with him is still unknown, the bad omen seems to be rubbing off on the rest of the team.
St. Louis this year has allowed a WHIP against of 1.44, BAA of .266, 173 Walks, and 3.68 walks/nine innings. Those are in the bottom 4-7 teams in the league or worse in those respective stats. Pitching has always been their greatest need, yet they constantly fall short. Sure, they traded for Jordan Montgomery once upon a time, but Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, and Stephen Matz are all not sustainable options.
The lineup is still a bright spot, however. The emergence of Nolan Gorman and the continued success of Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt has propelled this group. With the Cards in the top-5 in team slugging, OPS, and OBP, a few deadline moves for pitching can help even the NL Central division race. However, their 20-29 record — which keeps them close to the bottom in one of the worst divisions — still warrants a grade in the D-tier.