St. Louis Cardinals 2023 Season Preview
If it ain’t broke… That seemed to be the mindset for the St. Louis Cardinals this winter. They added Willson Contreras in place of retired backstop Yadier Molina and it looks as though they’ll be promoting 2020 first-round pick Jordan Walker. That’s it. Those are the only new additions projected to make the Opening Day roster for the Redbirds, as they look to defend their NL Central title.
The Cardinals had six free agents going into the offseason and didn’t sign any of them. They signed a few minor leaguers, made a couple of minor league Rule 5 draft picks and head into the 2023 season with their 93-win squad intact. St. Louis ultimately won the NL Central by seven games, but lost to the eventual NL champion Phillies in the Wild Card Round.
Things could have gone very differently. The Cardinals gave up six runs in the ninth inning of their 6-3 loss in Game 1 and lost Game 2 by a 2-0 count. It was an underwhelming end to a good season and the third straight exit for the team in the Wild Card Round. But, they’re poised for another return to the postseason. It would be their 17th since 2000, which is just an absurd number. The Cardinals have had ONE LOSING SEASON since the Y2K scare. I don’t think we appreciate that enough.