Back in 2015, the Cardinals were one of the gold standards in baseball. They had won three straight division titles and reached the postseason six out of seven years.
However, all of that changed when they lost the NLDS to the Cubs. For a few years, the Cubs took over as the Central’s prominent threat. After 2018, it was the Cardinals’ turn again, and they responded by winning the NL Central in 2019 and reaching the NLCS.
But what should have been the start of another run was derailed by poor front office decisions, mainly trades. Ownership also put a cap on spending, and while the Cardinals should have regained their status as the Central’s best team, they only captured one division title since then and won just one playoff game.
While the Cardinals were stuck in neutral, along came the Brewers. They won the division in 2018 and reached the playoffs as a Wild Card the following two seasons. In 2021, they won another division title and then did it again in 2023 after missing the playoffs in 2022.
Fast forward to 2024, and they remain at the top of the NL Central. This is after they lost Craig Counsell and traded Corbin Burnes. Meanwhile, the Cardinals finally spent this past offseason and should have been a better ballclub than the Brewers by all accounts. However, it’s the Brewers who remain on top.
The Brewers are everything the Cardinals should have been
The question is why has it come to this? Why is it that the Brewers, after losing significant pieces are still better than the Cardinals, who finally spent some cash in the offseason? What are the Brewers doing right, and what are the Cardinals doing wrong?
Sometimes, spending works. But there’s more to success than spending, and it all starts with the people making the decisions at the top.
