Cardinals Already Succeeding in Unexpected Area

Nov 13, 2019; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom speaks with members of the media during general managers meetings at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Cardinals Already Succeeding in Unexpected Area

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated May 1, 2026 10:00 AM ET

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The St. Louis Cardinals return home after pulling off a four-game sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and now will face the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in a critical homestand. They are now 18-13 to start the season, even after trading away some talented players such as Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan.

While it's too early to determine if this will last, the Cardinals have outperformed their expectations thus far, and it has led to some fun baseball in St. Louis.

In fact, they are already succeeding in an unexpected area this year. As of Friday, they are in playoff position, which is quite unexpected given the trades they made.

Cardinals in playoff position to start May

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

If the postseason began on Friday, then the Cardinals would have the third National League wild card spot and face the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card series. The Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs would be the other five playoff teams in the National League.

Certainly, it's too early to know what the picture is going to look like. There are still five months left in the regular season, and granted, the Cardinals were not expected to contend this season. The trades they made signaled a full rebuild for the first time in over three decades.

However, they are playing loose and relaxed and not dealing with much pressure, something that franchise legend Albert Pujols thinks is working just fine for them.

The focus may be on the future, but the Cardinals aren't conceding anything. They just aren't playing with any pressure, and that has allowed them to outperform their expectations.

The young players have really stepped up. Jordan Walker finally appears to be himself again, and JJ Wetherholt is putting up strong numbers in the leadoff spot for St. Louis.

If the Cardinals are in the mix by the end of May, then they could potentially be for real after a hot start to the season. Many predicted the Cardinals to finish in last place in the NL Central this season, and while that could still happen, there's a lot to like about the way they are currently playing, and it should be interesting to see where they end up at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

At the very least, the future is bright for St. Louis, and there are reasons for fans to be excited.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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