St. Louis Cardinals Ranked Near Bottom of MLB in Latest Power Rankings

The St. Louis Cardinals opted to punt on the season after trading a slew of their veteran stars over the offseason. Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Sonny Gray were all traded out of St. Louis this offseason.

Despite all these moves, the Cardinals are off to a solid start, sitting at 6-5 after 11 games.

The Athletic recently put together another power ranking of the entire MLB. The Cardinals found themselves near the bottom of the league, tied for No. 26 in this edition of The Athletic's power rankings. They've dropped one spot after being ranked No. 25 in the previous edition.

Cardinals remain one of the worst teams in the league despite solid start

Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits the ball into play against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Cardinals are off to a better start than anybody could have imagined. They had a lot of question marks surrounding their roster this season, but the team, led by Oliver Marmol, has still been able to produce. They took the opening series from the Tampa Bay Rays after winning the first two games of the season. They took two out of three from the New York Mets, too.

After dropping the series to the Tigers, the Cardinals split the first two games against the Washington Nationals. They're in a good spot to win that series, too, as they match up against old friend Miles Mikolas on Wednesday.

The Athletic's Johnny Flores Jr. called the Cardinals' ace, Matthew Liberatore, the team's early difference maker, despite the No. 26 ranking in the power rankings.

Cardinals are being led by ace Matthew Liberatore

Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) prepares to throw a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

"In a season that will be defined by which young Cards step up, Liberatore is showing early why he should be a key part of the St. Louis rotation for seasons to come," Flores wrote. "After taking the ball on Opening Day, Liberatore has pitched to a 1.64 ERA over his first two starts. Though the strikeouts are down, he is limiting hard contact and isn’t walking a ton of hitters, either. How he can translate that over a 30-start season will be one of the biggest things to watch in 2026."

Liberatore looked impressive in spring training during the buildup to the season. He had a slightly adjusted arsenal of pitches, which has carried over to a productive beginning to the season for the lefty.

Through three starts, Liberatore has tossed 16 innings and allowed 19 hits, six earned runs, and five walks. His stuff has looked good, though he hasn't posted the strikeout numbers that a lot of people would have assumed. Still, he's helped keep the Cardinals competitive in each of his three starts.