Are Cardinals headed for another last-place finish?

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Coming off a season that saw them take last place in their division for the first time since 1990, the St. Louis Cardinals 2024 season has not been the rebound year the franchise hoped for.

Currently 9-13, the Cardinals find themselves with the third-worst record in the National League while having the worst offense in the NL.

Through 22 games this season, the Cardinals as a team are slashing .219/.301/.333 with 13 home runs and 76 runs scored, both of which rank last in the NL.

After spending the offseason trying to improve their rotation, the front office failed to bring in any offensive help outside of veteran infielders Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford, a decision that is having clear consequences.

2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt is off to the worst start of his career, slashing .179/.289/.218 with one home run and eight RBI. He was recently dropped from second to fifth in the batting order.

He isn’t the only hitter struggling. Second baseman Nolan Gorman is slashing .169/.229/.325 while outfielder Jordan Walker is putting up a .164/.238/.273 slash line.

The starting pitching hasn’t been much better, with offseason additions Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn being the only bright spots so far.

With the continued struggles of righties Miles Mikolas and Kyle Gibson, the Cardinals are relying on their bullpen a lot in 2024, and it has answered the call.

The bullpen has been one of the best in the NL, ranking near the top in multiple categories. Without the ‘pen, this team would likely be in an even deeper hole to begin 2024.

While the season is still young, the Cardinals are on pace to have the same 71-91 record they had a season ago.

If the offense can’t pick it up we could see them become sellers at the deadline, with Goldschmidt and third baseman Nolan Arenado being two names that would garner plenty of interest from contending teams.

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