Catastrophic Cardinals: Where can they go from here?
Not many people projected the St. Louis Cardinals to be sitting at the bottom of the weak NL Central — but here they are.
In the middle of May, St. Louis is sitting at a disappointing 18-26, with offseason addition Willson Contreras underperforming. While the team isn't out of the hunt for a division title, facing a 6.5-game deficit, it's fairly clear this isn't a championship squad.
The team has some glaring weaknesses, particularly on the pitching side. Although Matthew Liberatore, the team's No. 4 prospect, pitched splendidly in his season debut Wednesday, the rest of the rotation hasn't been good.
Every Cardinals starter has an ERA over 4.20, with no clear ace on the staff. It's a poorly built rotation, and has been for some time. The lineup hasn't been elite either, especially after the retirement of franchise legends Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols.
Whether or not the team wants to try to contend now, there are definitely moves that have to happen.
There are two options to fix the quickly deteriorating pitching issue: deal prospects or deal from the active roster. Either option could work, as St. Louis has a top-10 farm system, according to MLB.com.
Top prospects Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Tink Hence could all command sizable returns. There are other minor leaguers who could add significant value to a trade package, too. Struggling teams like the White Sox have plenty of pitching to deal, and it could be a good match.
One of the other issues the Cardinals have is roster balance. While they don't have many solid pitchers, they have a glut of outfielders. Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O'Neill, Juan Yepez and Oscar Mercado are all battling for playing time, with Walker also getting at-bats this season before getting sent down to the minors.
It's a situation where not everyone can get playing time, and shipping off one or more of these outfielders would make a lot of sense. Contending teams such as the Guardians or Braves could use the outfield upgrades, and they have pitching depth available in the form of prospects or more major league-ready players.
This trade deadline and upcoming offseason, the Cardinals front office faces a crossroads. Right now, it's looking like the current roster isn't cutting it. Changes need to be made, but the big question is what it will look like.
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