2012 payroll: $115.4 million
Predictions
2013 record: 85-77
2013 payroll: $114 million
Finish: 2nd Place, NL Central
Offseason Action
This was a nice offseason at best for the Cardinals. Last year they caught fire late in the year when it looked like all hope was gone and ended up winning the controversial play-in game vs the Braves.
In Mike Matheney's first season as a big league manager he did a great job. He had to deal with the absences of long time Cardinals greats Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter. Matheney helped newcomers Jake Westbrook and Carlos Beltran both fit in quickly inside the locker room and both ended up having career years. Last season the Cards had solid production from virtually every aspect of the team. The pitching staff had all six of their starters post an ERA under 4.00. Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran were strong MVP candidates hitting .315 with 22 homers and .269 with 32 bombs, respectively. The rest of the lineup was outstanding as well, with the likes of Allen Craig, David Freese, and Jon Jay all contributing.
All of this success resulted in a heartbreaking game 7 loss to the World Series champs Giants in the NLCS. So with another solid season under their belt it makes sense for the Cardinals to stand pat and keep their team right? Well in most cases yes, but there's a risk involved as well.
Reality Check
Then the news came across the wire. Chris Carpenter will not pitch this season and may not pitch again in his career. Ouch. The Cardinals already had some problems with the staff but this adds a whole 'nother level to that. With Carpenter out, it's questionable whether a 31-year old Adam Wainwright who had an almost 4.00 ERA last season coming off of a major surgery can lead the staff.
Lance Lynn was a breakout sensation in the first half last season, making the all star team and becoming the first pitcher to win 10 games. But after the all-star game Lynn fell apart, pitching a 4.32 ERA and eventually getting shifted to the bullpen.
Jaime Garcia hasn't pitched at least 200 innings over the course of a season once in his career and typically struggles to throw 100 pitches in a game. Prospects Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller are highly touted but both had inconsistent seasons last year which leaves some question marks.
And maybe most troubling of all is that St Louis will be missing their number one starter and ace Kyle Lohse. The Cards haven't resigned Lohse(yet), who went 16-3 last year with a remarkable 2.86 ERA. He also logged 200 innings for the third straight season and pitched effectively by forcing a majority of batters to hit the ball on the ground.
The Cardinals offense should be as good. Beltran is a year older and declined scarily in the second half last year, almost .30 points dropped off of his first half batting average. Lance Berkman is gone, and Rafael Furcal will start the season on the DL which is a concern for whoever they use as shortstop. But Allen Craig could be a dark horse candidate for MVP this season being the run-producing machine that he is. Molina, Holliday, Jay, and Freese should all have solid years as usual and will carry the load for this Cardinals team.
Savior
Allen Craig knows how to drive in runs. In just 119 games last year he had 92 RBI along with 22 homers. If Craig was healthy enough to play a full season he would've had 124 RBI and 30 bombs. Pretty good. With Beltran and Holliday both in their mid-30's and Molina possibly slowing down from the wear and tear of a catcher, this lineup has some question marks.
Freese, Jay, and Craig are the only young proven hitters on the team. If Craig can stay healthy this season he could be the glue that holds together a broken Cardinals team.
-Wyatt Smith, Sports Editor, Clickege Media, Inc.
