Cardinals Writer Sheds Light On Often Overlooked Factor In Team's Downfall

Pitching is not the only thing that led to the Cardinals' demise.

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have fallen on hard times in recent years. Despite a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win on Saturday over the San Francisco Giants, they remain 5 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card race and 17 games back in the NL Central, currently led by the Milwaukee Brewers. The pitching has let them down at various points this year and their development of solid pitching also fell behind the times.

However, pitching is not the only thing that led to the Cardinals' demise, nor is it the only problem plaguing the 2025 team. Their offense has not produced this year either.

J.T. Buchheit of Redbird Rants highlighted another major weakness, that they haven't been able to develop a power-hitting outfielder dating back to the untimely death of Oscar Taveras.

Cardinals Outfield Struggles Played Key Role In Team's Demise

Aug 29, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18) and second baseman Thomas Saggese (25) run off the field in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

"St. Louis Cardinals fans all know the story of the hapless front office falling far behind the times with pitching development, trusting that their pitch-to-contact approach would still hold water in the modern game. When the topic is broached of what has gone wrong for the Cardinals over the past few seasons, that will generally place near the top of the list. However, there is a less talked-about aspect of the team that has been a recurring problem throughout the years," Buchheit wrote.

"The Cardinals deserve all the blame for missing the boat on strikeouts becoming a necessity in the sport, but their issues with trading for and producing outfield talent are less about a faulty process and more about the moves simply not shaking out as hoped."

Since the death of Taveras, the Cardinals haven't been able to develop a star outfielder. Dylan Carlson, Stephen Piscotty, Tyler O'Neill, Randal Grichuk and others simply did not pan out. Even Harrison Bader didn't become what the Cardinals expected him to be, as Buchheit points out.

But this is an area where the Cardinals have struggled quite a bit in recent years. Offense has been just as big of a problem as their pitching, and they haven't developed a power-hitting outfielder in a long time. The last one was Albert Pujols, who ultimately moved to first base full-time in 2004.

It will be interesting to see if Chaim Bloom can correct this when he takes over for John Mozeliak at the end of the 2025 season.

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