Before the trade deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals were already one of the best teams in the National League.
They were (and still are) a tier below the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, but they had taken the lead in the NL Central and are now in the process of putting some ground between them and the Milwaukee Brewers.
They are a solid baseball club, and have been particularly hot since the deadline.
“The @Cardinals have been the best team in @MLB since the trade deadline — 25-8, even after Monday’s defeat,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
The @Cardinals have been the best team in @MLB since the trade deadline — 25-8, even after Monday's defeat.@MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 6, 2022
You have to tip your cap to the Cardinals: besting the Dodgers in a category, or in a specific span, is extremely difficult.
But they have done it: nobody has been better than St. Louis since August 2.
The Cardinals were reportedly very interested in outfielder Juan Soto before he went to San Diego and scanned the market for some other top names.
They Turned Their Deadline Arms Into Gold
Their deadline, however, was a bit modest on the surface: they added two starters in Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, plus reliever Chris Stratton and catcher Austin Allen.
They have gotten excellent production from those players.
Montgomery has a sparkling 1.47 ERA in 36.2 innings with a Cardinals uniform, while adding 32 strikeouts.
That’s ace-like performance from an unexpected source.
Quintana has also been quite solid, with a 3.38 ERA in six starts.
The two left-handers have become rotation stalwarts in St. Louis, while Stratton has contributed a lot in relief, with a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings.
The Cardinals are getting very good at player development in recent seasons, and were very close to leaving the Dodgers out of the playoffs last year.
They are betting on getting out of the first playoffs round this year, and they are one of those teams that World Series contenders definitely don’t want to face in October.
NEXT: Top Cardinals Prospect Keeps Showing Off His Power