Ken Rosenthal is Absolutely Right with Early-Season Cardinals Analysis

The Cardinals are exceeding expectations.

Oct 31, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal during the Arizona Diamondbacks game against the Texas Rangers in game four of the 2023 World Series at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have now won six consecutive games and are just one game back of first place in the National League Central. At 20-13, they share the same record as the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and have even won a series against them.

The Cardinals essentially stripped down their roster to the studs last offseason, trading veterans Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado and beginning a long overdue rebuild.

Somehow, they are playing better than expected. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic appeared on "Foul Territory" to discuss what is working for the Cardinals and how the rebuild may be benefitting them.

"Sometimes, when you remove a big force from the clubhouse and you have a younger group, it lets the younger players blossom in a different way," Rosenthal said. "They traded Arenado, Contreras and Sonny Gray. No one would suggest any of those guys are bad guys, but sometimes their mere presence is a little suffocating for the younger guys, and it seems to me that the Cardinals are benefitting, actually, from those guys not being there anymore."

Cardinals rebuild could be working

May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

There is a lot going right for the Cardinals right now, and the rebuild appears to be working so far. But sometimes, as Rosenthal mentions, a team can benefit from offloading veterans and leaving spots open for younger players.

Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera are all taking advantage of their opportunities and becoming the players that the Cardinals expected them to be.

While it's still early in the season, the trades made by the Cardinals seem to have taken the pressure off of the young clubhouse and granted those players freedom to go out and just be themselves rather than have to worry about their jobs being on the line or veteran oversight.

Instead, this team is playing free and easy and is benefitting from having a new look roster. That doesn't mean that there aren't issues that need to be addressed, but the team is playing very well and the players are not dealing with the added pressure of expectations.

It will be interesting to see if this continues, but so far, the young players are benefitting from not having a ton of veterans on the roster and are playing without any added burdens of expectations. There is a lot to look forward to for the Cardinals.