2023 has been nothing short of a nightmare for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Picked by most to win the NL Central, they have careened all the way to last place in the division and own a horrendous record of 35-51.
They also appear to be all but buried in the standings.
For a team that won 93 games a season ago and captured their 13th NL Central title, things have gotten pretty bleak.
In fact, according to Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals’ postseason odds have fallen 62 percent since preseason projections were made.
To make matters worse, the NL Central is a division with just two teams over the .500 mark, neither of which are 10 or more games above.
#STLCards, heavily expected to win NL Central, have watched @fangraphs postseason odds drop 62% since first preseason projections were released. In division that has only 2 winning teams, none of which are 10 games above .500. Pitching crisis was predicted. Offseason inexcusable.
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) July 6, 2023
Frederickson then pointed out the obvious issue that the Cardinals are facing.
That issue is their pitching, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen.
Aside from re-signing Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals made no moves to address their pitching staff.
Starting pitchers such as Justin Verlander, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Anderson, Chris Bassitt, and even former Cardinal Michael Wacha were available in free agency.
Yet all of them were passed up.
The bullpen market featured some viable arms such as Andrew Chafin.
St. Louis did not add to its bullpen either.
As such, they find themselves well out of postseason contention and on pace to have their first losing season since 2007.
The Cards are 16 games below the .500 mark, which matches a season worst.
They also have lost three consecutive games and are on the brink of being swept by the Miami Marlins.
NEXT: Cardinals Announcers Left In Shock Over Latest Meltdown
