After adding arms, what else do Cards have in store?

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Eager to distance themselves from the disappointment of last season’s 71-91 finish as quickly as possible, the Cardinals roared out of the gates when baseball’s free agent courting period began and hurriedly locked up proven veteran starting pitchers Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.

After recently spending a day with Gray at a fitness/performance center in Franklin, Tenn., I can attest that the Cardinals pitching staff should be much tougher, more driven and laser-focused in 2024 with the 34-year-old right-hander at the top of their rotation. But will they be good enough to topple the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves and/or D-backs in the rugged National League and win a World Series? After all, that’s the only goal fans in baseball-crazed St. Louis truly care about, even after bottoming out in ‘23.

What have the Cards gotten done since the early rush to sign those three starters? Well, the Cards did host Japanese left-hander Yuki Matsui for a visit at Busch Stadium last week, sources told me and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. However, Matsui ultimately chose the Padres over the Cards, because, well, apparently, it’s slightly sunnier in Southern California than Missouri in December.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed at the Winter Meetings that his team met with several agents about free-agent pitchers who could potentially log innings for the Redbirds in 2024. Mozeliak has stuck to his “pitching, pitching, pitching” mantra after the Cards compiled a 4.79 ERA in ‘23, their worst since earned runs became official in 1913. (Should they not also be concerned about a hot-and-cold offense that ranked 19th in runs scored in ‘23?)

With the bitterness of their first last-place division finish in 33 years still fresh, the Cards know they need additional improvements to their roster to avoid a repeat of 2023. Do they chase a starter who might fall through the cracks? Can they improve the back end of their bullpen? Anyone up for reunions with Jordan Montgomery and/or Jordan Hicks?

Here are some things to look for as the offseason churns on:

Biggest question to answer before Spring Training

Sure, the Cardinals upgraded their pitching with the additions of Gray, Gibson and Lynn to pair with Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, but do they have enough firepower to be legit World Series contenders? Mozeliak thinks so, but it seems like he might still have another play to fortify the rotation or improve the bullpen.

The Cards never seriously entered the chase for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and missed out on a trade for Tyler Glasnow, per Glasnow on the Foul Territory podcast. Can they swing a deal for Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber or Alek Manoah?

One player poised for a breakout in 2024

When Jordan Walker made the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster with an electrifying spring and started his Major League career with hits in his first 12 games, few would have imagined he would have failed to get a single vote for National League Rookie of the Year. However, that happened after he was briefly demoted and struggled with his defense.

Walker vowed he would pocket those lessons and use them to springboard forward in 2024. At 6’6” and 245 pounds, Walker is too physically gifted to not make enormous strides in Year 2. The guess here: 25 homers and 75 RBIs.

One prospect to watch in 2024

Victor Scott II finished with 94 steals in 2023, tied for the most in the Minor Leagues. Now, that speed combined with his stellar center-field defense, high on-base percentage and infectious confidence could fast-track the 23-year-old to the big leagues.

The fifth-round pick in 2022 continued to open eyes within the organization by carrying over his stellar Minor League play to the Arizona Fall League. In 23 Fall League games, Scott hit .286 with an impressive .388 on-base percentage. A Minor League Gold Glove winner, Scott also used his blinding speed to steal 18 bases in Arizona.

Big prediction for 2024

With the Cubs and Reds stuck in neutral; the Brewers seemingly heading in reverse with the loss of manager Craig Counsell and a likely trade of Corbin Burnes; and the Pirates still coasting, the Cardinals will pull off a worst-to-first surge and cruise to the NL Central crown in 2024.

Mind you, that’s not quite the accomplishment it might be in any other division, but it will at least get the Cards back in the playoffs. However, without another pitching addition, they still have a long way to go to be World Series contenders.