By Dan Buffa

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My two dogs like to bark at any dog that passes by our backyard. It’s a given like the McDonald’s ice cream machine being down. Big or even small, any dog that dares crossing is getting all they can handle from my beagle and chihuahua. It’s a consistent bark and one that never changes, which puts it directly in the entertaining yet frustrating department.

The local baseball team does a lot of “barking” too. 

Contending isn’t a struggle for the St. Louis Cardinals. Staying in the fight comes natural to a franchise that is run like a Jewish deli with a few big superstars on the employee list. Bill DeWitt Jr. and President of Everything Cardinal, Jonathan Mozeliak, will put together a roster that floats the idea of 90 wins out there if 75% of their “ifs” play out in their favor. It’s fine, but not always exciting. 

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado will do their thing, and Willson Contreras has come as advertised. But the starting pitching needs were mostly abandoned in the offseason, instead hedging their bets on Jack Flaherty replicating 2019 and Miles Mikolas stepping his already-sturdy duties up a notch. Steven Matz and Jake Woodford are serviceable starters, but nothing special. There’s little special about a groin injury, so who knows when Adam Wainwright will not just return but offer quality production on the mound. 

My question is simple: Are the Cardinals going to bark all day like a little doggie, or do they have some bite in them?

A question first posed in a Quentin Tarantino film can be applied to a Cardinals team that likes to spend, but also draws a stiff line on seemingly clear roster needs. If Flaherty can’t stop walking twice as many people as he strikes out and Mikolas gets shoved around like a well-paid pinata, the rotation won’t get any better. I’ll say it again: Marcus Stroman was available, and the Cardinals passed two winters ago. He has made two stellar starts for the Chicago Cubs this year, and owns a credible 3.58 ERA for his career. 

How many offseason starters did the Cardinals pass on? All of them. 

This won’t stop the team from producing enough wins to win the division, if they can hold off Milwaukee. That only buys them a ticket to the playoff dance, where St. Louis hasn’t won an NLCS game in nearly ten years. A single series win since 2014 also looms like stale meat over a franchise that minces few words about contending. Anyone notice that humongous World Series statue in Ballpark Village? If that isn’t a rich wife flashing her monstrous diamond ring while her husband drives an old Prius, I don’t know what is.

What’s the five-year plan, Cards? Contend is a certainty, but what else is in store for the fans paying ridiculous money to watch you play? St. Louis does demand more from their baseball team than most cities. Blame the Sporting News or a consistent drive to stick around the playoff picture, but things are different around here. 

Here’s the thing. The Cardinals only have a few more years of serious Arenado and Goldschmidt MVP-type production. It’s evaporating with each game, becoming less and less of a given. Take that away, and the onus to carry the offense falls to a less-qualified fella, or maybe it’s a few players. That window can’t be wasted. 

Bark all day like a little doggie, or show some true bite like a top dog. Which one will it be, Cardinals? They bypassed on a lot of available talent over the winter, hedging bets on young studs like Walker and Donovan to carry the weight. It’s the pitchers who will once again carry the postseason keys for this team. Do they have it in them? Time will tell. 

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