The St. Louis Cardinals remained playoff contenders in 2016 but they entered the month of September 15 games back of the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs and ultimately fell one game short of a Wild Card spot. The Cardinals opted to tinker with their roster in the offseason rather than completely blow things up so they reloaded with outfielder Dexter Fowler as their top priority. St. Louis invested $82.5 million in Fowler following his first All-Star selection with the hope that he could thrive as their leadoff hitter, a quality defensive outfielder and a veteran influence with a World Series ring. The Cardinals still might not have what it takes to keep pace with the Cubs in the NL Central but they should once again challenge for an NL Wild Card spot.
Key Additions: OF Dexter Fowler, RP Brett Cecil, SP John Gant
Key Losses: OF Matt Holliday, OF Brandon Moss, SP Jaime Garcia, RP Seth Maness, OF Jeremy Hazelbaker
Strengths
St. Louis should be in decent shape in the outfield with Fowler, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk while the infield has the potential to be solid both defensively and at the plate as well. Fowler gives them a little more speed on the base paths and it will be on a veteran group of hitters to continue to produce at the plate despite a potential dip in home run totals following the departures of Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss. Gyorko led the NL with 23 home runs after the All-Star break last season and will be relied on to take another step forward. The Cardinals pitching must also be better in order for this group to reach its potential. After posing the lowest team ERA in baseball by a landslide in 2015, this group was incredibly average in 2016. Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia all struggled mightily by their standards a year ago and must bounce back in order for the pitching to remain a strength and not a weakness for this team.
Weaknesses
Age and injuries caught up to the starters in St. Louis a year ago and there is no guarantee it doesn’t happen again. Top prospect Alex Reyes had to have Tommy John surgery already so there is a lot of pressure on the veterans to step up. The Cardinals will also need to replace the production of their departed hitters in Holliday and Moss, who helped the club finished second in the majors with 225 home runs last season. Holliday, Moss and Jeremy Hazelbaker combined for 60 of those home runs so it will be on the remaining talent to step up. There will be a lot of pressure on Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Aledmys Diaz and Matt Adams and a lack of depth behind that group could be more cause for concern.
2017 St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart
| Catcher | Yadier Molina | Alberto Rosario | |||
| First Base | Matt Carpenter | Matt Adams | |||
| Second Base | Kolten Wong | Jedd Gyorko | Matt Carpenter | ||
| Third Base | Jhonny Peralta | Jedd Gyorko | Matt Carpenter | ||
| Shortstop | Jedd Gyorko | Aledmys Diaz | Greg Garcia | ||
| Left Field | Tommy Pham | Randal Grichuk | |||
| Center Field | Randal Grichuk | Tommy Pham | |||
| Right Field | Stephen Piscotty | Tommy Pham | |||
| Starting Pitcher | Adam Wainwright | Carlos Martinez | Mike Leake | Michael Wacha | Lance Lynn |
| Relief Pitcher | Kevin Siegrist | Jonathan Broxton | Trevor Rosenthal | Matt Bowman | Brett Cecil |
| Closer | Seung-Hwan Oh | ||||
Projected Win Total: 87.5
World Series Odds: +2500
Outlook
The expectation is that the pitching staff will be better and that will take a lot of the pressure off of the offense in 2017. However, the Cardinals have a tough road back to the postseason playing in the loaded National League Central where they will once again be in tough to keep up with the Cubs. St. Louis will likely have to settle for the Wild Card route but they will need a lot to go right in order to maximize their potential in the postseason – if they get there. They are still viewed as behind the powerhouse teams like the Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals and New York Mets, so there is still work to be done.
Prediction: 88-74
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