Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Cardinals In Bottom Half Of MLB Power Rankings Despite Key Series Win

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals picked up an important series win on Sunday over the San Francisco Giants, improving to .500 before a key series against the Seattle Mariners. St. Louis came to within 4 1/2 games of the third and final National League Wild Card spot, but their best hope for the rest of 2025 is to play spoiler on contending ballclubs, and they have the opportunity to do just that.

Their pitching staff has been a major problem for them this season, and it has led them to fall out of contention and even finally focus on their much needed rebuild rather than contending.

In the latest Power Rankings courtesy of Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter had the Cardinals at 17th out of all 30 Major League teams and discussed their playoff chances.

Cardinals Ranked Low In Latest Power Rankings

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"According to the latest playoff odds from FanGraphs, the Rangers (15.6%) and Royals (12.5%) have the best chance of reaching the postseason from this group, while the Cardinals (1.2%) and Rays (2.0%) are at the bottom of the list of teams that still have non-zero postseason odds," Reuter wrote.

"The only two teams with a harder schedule are the Cardinals and Reds, so keep an eye on the Giants as the team with perhaps the best chance of pushing for the third NL wild-card spot if someone stumbles above them in the standings."

The Cardinals have had some players step up this season. Players like Michael McGreevy, Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Thomas Saggese have all played their way into the team's 2026 plans. They may be forced to trade some pieces in order to bolster their pitching staff for next season.

They have a lot of left-handed bats, and they aren't expected to be a contender next season, so that could lead to them trading somebody like Donovan or Burleson to a contending team in need of offense.

But even after their series win over the Giants, the Cardinals are not ranked high. They have the Milwaukee Brewers twice after the Mariners series and close the 2025 season with matchups against the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

They could play the role of spoiler down the stretch, but they certainly don't have an easy schedule. We'll see how the Cardinals fare in the coming weeks as the 2025 regular season winds down.

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

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