Feb 12, 2021
Two weeks ago the Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado and became the supposed favorites to win the NL Central.
Surely their roster still had holes, but the hype of the heist was enough for St. Louis to garner universal acclaim from the critics.
The best third baseman in baseball, rescued from the aimless Rockies, content to spend the rest of his playing days with a perennial contender. That narrative was too good to resist.
Except it was also too good to be true, at least in what it means for the Cardinals this year. The PECOTA projections, which
Baseball Prospectus released earlier this week, have the Cardinals finishing behind the Cubs and Brewers with an 80–82 record, while FanGraphs projects the Cardinals to tie with the Brewers for first place in the division—with a losing record (79–83).