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The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off their worst season since 1990 with a 71-91 finish. Their pitching staff resembled one that took part in the Home Run Derby, with a 5.08 starter’s ERA (26th), 4.47 relievers ERA (23rd), 1,215 strikeouts (29th), 22.8% whiff rate (29th) and 26.2% chase rate (29th).
The Cards were swift to address those needs in the offseason, signing RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Lance Lynn and RHP Kyle Gibson to supplement their rotation. Gray suffered a hamstring injury in camp and will start the season on the IL. LHP Zack Thompson will step in for his spot alongside RHP Miles Mikolas and LHP Steven Matz. The Redbirds also added to their pen by acquiring RHP Andrew Kittredge, RHP Riley O’Brien and signing RHP Keynan Middleton. The latter will open the season on the IL as well with a forearm strain.
Let’s analyze the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series odds, along with their projected win total, playoff, division and NL odds as we make our expert MLB picks and predictions.
St. Louis Cardinals World Series odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, March 25, at 12:21 p.m. ET.
Odds: +3500 (bet $100 to win $3,500)
The Cards are tied for 12th-shortest odds to win the World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Los Angeles Dodgers (+350), Atlanta Braves (+450), Houston Astros (+800), New York Yankees (+900) and Baltimore Orioles (+1300) make up the top 5.
The Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics are tied for the longest odds at +50000.
PASS.
This team has enough talent to win one of the weakest divisions in baseball, but they don’t have enough high-end pitching to miss bats in order to compete in October.
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St. Louis Cardinals playoff odds
Will they make the playoffs: Yes -115 | No -105
Do NOT bet this. There is likely only going to be 1 team from the NL Central in the playoffs, and that will come via winning the division. So go that route for a no-brainer of a payout upgrade.
PASS.
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St. Louis Cardinals win total
Over/Under: 85.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
PECOTA projections have the Cards at 84.6 wins this season. So this is a tight number in the books’ favor.
Here’s what you do. The Cardinals have a brutal opening week with 4 at the Dodgers and 3 at the San Diego Padres. They follow that up with series against the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. They are likely to start the season slowly, which should reduce this number a win or 2. That’s where you strike.
PASS.
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To win NL Central Division
- St. Louis Cardinals +175 (bet $100 to win $175)
- Chicago Cubs +200 (bet $100 to win $200)
- Cincinnati Reds +350 (bet $100 to win $350)
- Milwaukee Brewers +650 (bet $100 to win $650)
- Pittsburgh Pirates +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300)
St. Louis has high-end talent in 3B Nolan Arenado, 1B Paul Goldschmidt and C Willson Contreras. It’s the young guys that could take a huge step forward this year like OF Jordan Walker, OF Lars Nootbaar and SS Masyn Winn. Prospect OF Victor Scott III also had a great spring but will begin the season at Triple-A before likely making his debut at some point this season. And 2B Thomas Saggese also turned heads hitting .304 with a HR and 11 RBI in spring.
This is the best bet on the board because the division is weak. The Brewers traded pieces off, and the Cubs only added a new manager and a piece or 2. It’s by no means a given, but for the potential payout, this is your best bet: CARDINALS TO WIN THE DIVISION +175.
To win National League
Odds: +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600)
A lot can happen over 162 games, but this roster is built to make it to October but not necessarily thrive in October. They can slug their way into the dance, but pitchers that miss bats are what wins in the dance. They still have too much of a “pitch to contact” approach, but the defense will be better with Winn at short for a full season and a healthier Arenado at third.
Making a wager here is like setting your wager ablaze and hoping it multiplies.
PASS
If you want to take a shot, take one on MASYN WINN TO WIN NL GOLD GLOVE AT SHORTSTOP (+1600). This kid has the range and maybe the best arm in the league. That electric arm could get him into trouble with errors, but his range could pad his defensive runs saved in order to give him a shot.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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