NL Central preview: 1. St. Louis Cardinals
After a disappointing Wild Card exit against Philadelphia, St. Louis will rely on a stacked lineup to help capture their second straight division title. Reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt will look to carry a lineup which is arguably one of the best in the National League. While St. Louis failed to acquire starting pitching during the offseason, they did manage to replace Yadier Molina with All-Star catcher Willson Contreras. The three-time All-Star achieved a career-high in wRC+ (132) and home runs (22) last season, earning a five-year deal from St. Louis. Contreras is yet another formidable bat to join this lineup, a lineup that is difficult to pinpoint a true weakness. Third baseman Nolan Arenado was right behind Paul Goldschmidt in MVP voting, finishing third in overall voting after another terrific season. Tommy Edman and Nolan Gorman make up the rest of the infield, with Gorman looking to build on a respectable rookie season.
The outfield is led by Tyler O’Neill who was surprisingly disappointing after the .286/34 home run slash he posted in the 2021 season. O’Neill was hurt for just about half of last season and will look to replicate another monster year similar to 2021. O’Neill will compete for the center field job with 24-year-old Dylan Carlson, who did regress a bit offensively last season. It will be interesting to see where utility man Brendan Donovan fits into the group, who was a pleasant surprise for St. Louis last season. Donovan finished third in rookie of the year voting, showcasing incredible plate discipline and great defensive versatility.
Top prospect Jordan Walker was a big reason why St. Louis was unwilling to trade for outfielder Juan Soto at last year’s trade deadline. The outfielder has hit above .300 at every stage of his minor league career and is currently raking in spring training. Expect to see Walker called up sometime during the 2023 season.
Starting pitching remains a clear weakness for St. Louis, who failed to address the need in the offseason. For the third season in a row, the Cardinals will rely on now 41-year-old Adam Wainwright to be a key facet in the rotation. Miles Mikolas bounced back last year with strong numbers, and will be relied upon for another strong season. Jordan Montgomery was a strong acquisition at last year’s deadline, fitting into the group as another above-average starting piece. Then there’s Jack Flaherty, who has not been able to put together a full season since his legendary 2019 performance. There’s no reason to believe much will change this year, with Flaherty reportedly still having restraints coming into spring training.
The future of the rotation is very much up in question with Wainwright (likely retiring), Montgomery, Flaherty, and Mikolas all becoming free agents next season. It’s a prove-it year for pretty much everyone but Wainwright, with much of the group in search of a long-term contract.
Speaking of long-term deals, St. Louis likely has buyer’s remorse with Steven Matz, who pitched just 48 innings last year. His ERA was a deceiving 5.25 (3.78 FIP), but the real cause for concern are the injuries. They’ve haunted Matz his whole career, and continue to do so at age 31. Matthew Liberatore is the lone young arm in this rotation, posting all-around disappointing numbers in his rookie season. The highly touted lefty arm posted a 5.97 ERA in just 34 innings, failing to post the high velocity numbers that he managed to do earlier as a prospect. Redbird fans are certainly hoping he can turn it around this year.
Ryan Helsey was nearly unhittable in the regular season last year, and will lead a Cardinals bullpen that’s bringing back Giovanny Gallegos, TJ McFarland, and Jordan Hicks.
St. Louis has a real chance to be a World Series contender. That is, of course, after they acquire an elite starting pitcher, which they don’t really have right now.