The Cardinals are one of the best-run organizations in baseball. They are consistently postseason contenders. Over the last five seasons, they have win totals of 100, 86, 83, 88 and 91 and are the defending NL Central champs. They aren’t a lock to repeat, but they have all the talent they need.
St. Louis Cardinals 2019 wins
With a win total projection of 88½ last year, it wasn’t looking good at the All-Star break when the Cardinals had a record of 44-44. But the pitching came to life after the break, led by Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson, propelling St. Louis to a 47-27 record after the break. They eventually pulled away from the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central.
St. Louis Cardinals offseason
With one of the strongest farm systems in MLB, they were tied to rumors in trade talks for Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado all offseason. They haven’t landed him, but they were able to acquire blue-chip left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Libertore from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Jose Martinez. They also signed Korean left-handed pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim, utility infielder Brad Miller and brought back right-hander Adam Wain catcher Matt Wieters. They will need to find a way to replace outfielder Marcell Ozuna’s production in the middle of the order after he signed with the Atlanta Braves.
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St. Louis Cardinals odds to win the N.L. Central Division
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Lines last updated at Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET.
The Cardinals are the favorite at +210, but not the clear-cut favorite over the Cubs (+250), Brewers (+260) and Cincinnati Reds (+380). A case can be made that both the Cubs and Brewers have better athletes as position players, but nobody can match the depth of the St. Louis pitching staff, which is deep in the starting rotation and the bullpen. In the era of swinging for the fences on every at-bat, quality pitching has become more critical, and the Cardinals are stacked if most of their pitchers stay healthy. Right-handed starter Miles Mikolas (elbow) had an MRI over the weekend to discover the cause of renewed soreness in his right elbow. That’s a story to watch as camp evolves. Invest at +210. The Cards have the horses to win the marathon and finish strong.
St. Louis Cardinals World Series odds
St. Louis is a franchise that has a history of postseason success, and pitching becomes even more critical in October. At +1400, only the Dodgers and Braves have a lower number to represent the National League in the World Series. St. Louis made it to the League Championship Series before its offense collapsed, scoring just six runs in a four-game sweep by eventual World Series champions Washington Nationals. The Dodgers are again the clear favorite, but the Cards are worth making a smaller investment in.
How many games will the St. Louis Cardinals win in 2020?
For a team that has topped their 2020 number of 87½ (-106 over, -115 under) in each of the last two seasons (88 in 2018 and 91 in 2019), it is a manageable number. They hit 88 wins in 153 games last season and have the ability to string together wins and avoid losing streaks of more than a game or two much of the season. Take the over and wait for July and August when the Cardinals play their best ball. They don’t need to start fast to hit this number.
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