Chicago Cubs should take solace in knowing that their arch rival and divisional foe, the St. Louis Cardinals, remain incompetent at building a lasting and competitive roster.
Between Willson Contreras and the debacle that brought him from the Cubs to the Cardinals to be the full time catcher, only to then be relegated to DH duties, is a thing a masterclass in what not to do.
Especially if you want to win a division and build a well-rounded roster with financial flexibility.
Or discussing trading away stars like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado?
Yeah not a great look.
How about trading away a player for cash considerations only for that player to then hit five home runs in four games in the American League Champions Series?
Yep, that happened too.
In 2019, St. Louis traded Adolis Garcia to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. That's it.
To be fair, the Rangers then DFA'd Garcia in 2021, but has since found a home in Globe Life Field's right field and Rangers lore.
When Garcia was DFA'd, not a single team tried to claim him. He then remained with Texas and is now hitting in the four hole and sending his team to the World Series.
The Cardinals could have had that instead of trying to figure out which below replacement level player is going to main the corner outfield spot.
While the Cubs stock continues to go up, the Cardinals is going down. Continuous trade and personnel mistakes, like the one mentioned, will continue to keep St. Louis out of contention.
That's good news for Chicago.
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