3 Major Questions Cardinals Must Answer Entering 2020 Season
The St. Louis Cardinals made it all the way to the NLCS in 2019 before being swept by the Washington Nationals. It was the furthest the team had gone in the postseason since 2014 and the Cardinals enter 2020 as contenders once again.
Yet there are still several notable questions surrounding the team. MLB analyst Jon Heyman rounded up the most glaring questions in a tweet.
#STLCards have a lot of competition/questions for team that was in final four last year: leadoff hitter, cleanup hitter, closer, 5th starter. Doesn’t mean they won’t be good/competitive; they almost always are
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 27, 2020
As Heyman notes, the team is usually competitive every single year. However, the question marks he brings up are worth discussing. The Cardinals have to answer three key questions before the season begins.
3. Who Will be the Closer?
Carlos Martinez went from being the Opening Day starter in 2018 to the team's closer in 2019. He had 24 saves in the regular season, while Jordan Hicks added 14 of his own. Now Martinez is competing for a rotation spot and Hicks is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Andrew Miller, Giovanny Gallegos, and John Brebbia were top three in appearances last year and stand out as options. The likely method may end up being a "closer by committee" until Hicks can return.
2. Who Will Replace Miles Mikolas?
The Cardinals were dealt an early blow with the Miles Mikolas injury news. He may only miss around a month, but the Cardinals now have an open spot in the rotation. Kwang-Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez were originally fighting for spots, but both appear to be in the rotation now. But there is the chance Martinez is placed back in the bullpen. That could lead to the Cardinals signing a free agent such as Collin McHugh or just rolling with internal options. This was an unforeseen issue and the Cardinals need to solidify roles.
1. Who Will Bat Cleanup?
The Cardinals had Marcell Ozuna batting cleanup in 2019. Now he is a member of the Atlanta Braves and the Cardinals have a hole to fill. The easy answer seems to be to put Paul Goldschmidt there. He batted third and could slide down a spot. However, that just creates a domino effect where another player is needed at the top of the lineup. Paul DeJong is a good candidate due to his power numbers. He had 30 home runs and 78 RBIs in 2019.