2023-24 MLB Offseason Recap: St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals’ four-year streaking of making the playoffs came to a stop in 2023. Questionable defense and pitching, as well as a good, but not great offense, led to the Cardinals having their worst season in franchise history since 1990. But what have the Cardinals done since the end of 2023? Here’s our 2023-24 MLB offseason recap for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Notable Additions

After a rough 2023 that saw the Cardinals rotation finish 26th in ERA (5.08), St. Louis made it a priority for this offseason. The Cardinals added veterans Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn on one-year deals, as well as AL Cy Young award finalist Sonny Gray on a multi-year deal.

The Cardinals will take a second shot at Lynn, who began his career in St. Louis but got hit hard in 2023 despite some good strikeout numbers. Gray, on the other hand, is poised to be the Cardinals’ 2024 ace. Over the last three seasons. Gray’s .641 opponent’s OPS is 20th-best in the game among starters (min. 300 IP).

St. Louis’ bullpen will also look different. Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos are still there but the additions of Keynan Middleton and Andrew Kittredge fill the voids left behind by Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton. Hicks and Stratton were dealt at the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline.

Now, we move to the subtractions part of our Cardinals offseason recap.

Notable Subtractions

The most notable name on this list is Adam Wainwright, who notched his 200th career win last season but had a 2023 to forget. Wainwright retired after the 2023 season.

It’s fair to say that the player on this list that’s the most interesting is Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill is an electric player with plus speed and power but had trouble staying healthy and ran into an outfield logjam. Not to mention, the 28-year-old had some trouble with manager Oliver Marmol in 2023.

With one year left before free agency, the Cardinals traded O’Neill to the Red Sox.

What to Expect in 2024

The 2023 season was uncharacteristic of what baseball fans expect from St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Rather than a team that pitches well and plays strong defense, the Cardinals’ outfield defense was less-than-stellar and their pitching was among the worst in the league.

The good news for the Cardinals is that there’s plenty of talent on this team. Yes, the Cardinals will need better from Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, two bedrocks of the franchise that struggled in 2023. But with several talented young hitters and what is a better pitching staff on paper, the Cardinals will look for better in 2024.

And with the Brewers and Cubs losing key pieces from their 2023 roster, the Cardinals do have a good chance of being competitive. However, things will need to look more like 2022, as compared to 2023.