This has not been the season that St. Louis Cardinals fans had hoped to see. Going into Tuesday, they sit with a 65-67 record, putting them 17 games behind the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
They have not gotten much offensive production this year as they hold the league’s 22nd-best OPS and are ranked 27th when it comes to home runs hit. It has not helped as the club has seen sluggers like Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan hit the IL.
Many insiders do not have much hope for this club left. Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic recently came out with an updated power rankings list and ranks the Cardinals as the 19th-best team in baseball.
This is now a new low for St. Louis. During last week’s power rankings, they were ranked 18th; now they drop one spot, and that trend could continue, especially with how hard of a stretch they will have in September.
Flores Jr. points to Nolan Arenado’s offensive struggles
Going into the season, it was not clear whether Nolan Arenado would still be with the Cardinals or not. After vetoing trades and a general lack of interest, the slugger stuck around, but has looked like a much different player this year.
“Flash forward to 2025, and Arenado has an 85 OPS+. Sure, he’s striking out less than ever before (7.7 percent), but he’s also hitting without any semblance of power, and his range as a third baseman has diminished,” Flores Jr. wrote. “With two years remaining on his contract, things might get ugly.”
Flores Jr. predicts that with two years remaining on his contract, things between Arenado and the front office could get complicated. This is a situation fans will want to keep their eye on after the season comes to a close.
