Cardinals Favorites To Win Division According To Multiple Projections
Could the St. Louis Cardinals go from worst to first in the National League Central next season?
After the Cardinals finished with their worst records in 33 years, the club has made moves this offseason to bounce back in 2024.
St. Louis is hopeful that the latest additions to the rotation and bullpen will ensure a different outcome for the club this upcoming season. Per multiple projections, the future looks promising.
Fangraphs placed the Cardinals with the highest odds to win the NL Central next season at 38.3%, followed by the Chicago Cubs at 21.3%. They project St. Louis to finish with an 84-78 record -- which would be a huge turnaround from their 71-91 finish in 2023.
Baseball Prospectus also projects St. Louis to win the NL Central, with a 52.9% chance to seal the division, followed by Chicago at 18.3%. They project the Cardinals to clinch the division by a comfortable margin of five games with an 85-77 record
The 2023 season was disappointing for the Cardinals as there were high expectations that were never met.
The biggest problem for St. Louis last season was the pitching staff. The rotation ranked No. 26 with a 5.07 ERA and the bullpen placed No. 23 with a 4.47 ERA.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is confident in the state of the rotation after the latest acquisitions this winter. Hopefully, they will be enough.
It's safe to say that the Cardinals made efforts this winter to ensure a better outcome for next season and will be expecting to get back into contention.
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