In regards to the Cardinals in 2021, the reality of reality is concessions — as in making them, because last season you couldn't buy them. And that's how the Cardinals and other teams are operating in this new reality — without ticket buyers in 2020, they don't have the means to spend freely. So we make concessions — the Cardinals' 2021 offense won't be vastly improved, because the Cards imply they can't afford to purchase the production of, say, a George Springer or other A-list free agents. The reality about the offense leads to much consternation around Cardinal Nation, and that's fair. But because of the pitching, there should still be some optimism about the 2021 team, even if it appears that ownership is looking ahead, from a financial standpoint, to the spending possibilities for 2022.
If 2020 was categorically "as bad as it gets" from an offensive standpoint, and the Cards' still finished fifth in the National League and made the playoffs, then why can't pitching and defense get them into the playoffs in 2021?
And while hitting coach Jeff Albert returns with a searing spotlight on him, don't forget that pitching coach Mike Maddux returns, too, and this guy is a guru. It can't be said enough — the Cardinals (and Marlins) experienced tribulations with their bullpens and rotations that the other 28 teams just did not experience. Pitching is an occupation based on daily routines — the Cardinals pitchers essentially just stopped pitching for 17 days, and then went out there and faced Major League Baseball hitters that had been facing pitching for those 17 days. Oh, and the Cardinals staff was ravaged by COVID, be it before the season or during it. And what happened? The St. Louis staff had the fourth-best ERA (3.90) in the National League, as well as WHIP (1.23).
