3 Cardinals who could be the next face of the franchise
By Curt Bishop
The 2023 season was a disappointing one for the St. Louis Cardinals. The team followed up a 93-win season in 2022 with a 71-91 finish the following year. The team also bid farewell to a familiar face, as veteran right-hander and two-time World Series champion Adam Wainwright played out his final season.
The previous year, the Cardinals said goodbye to Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, two longtime teammates of Wainwright, which left the 2006 postseason hero as the last of the big three. However, the time has come for Wainwright as well.
This marks the end of an era for the Cardinals and their fans, who have been lucky enough to see some of the greatest players to ever play the game. Pujols and Molina are surefire Hall-of-Famers, and Wainwright may not be too far behind.
But now, it is time for the Cardinals to move forward, which means somebody new will be the face of the franchise going forward. No longer are there any holdovers from the 2006 and 2011 World Series championship teams.
In this piece, we will examine the Cardinals and discuss three players who could potentially take over as the new face of the franchise with Wainwright gone and the others gone.