The Cardinals were widely expected to win the National League Central last season. The acquisition of Matt Holliday was expected to provide some pop for the lineup and protect Pujols well – which he did. A fully recovered Chris Carpenter was predicted to be back to his old Cy Young form – which he was. There were many reasons why the Cardinals should have shown a better record in the standings, yet they weren’t able to beat out the Reds for the division crown.
There is reason to believe that the Cardinals might be back at the top of the division this year, however I have some very reasonable arguments that show they may not be up to full potential and that distractions and problems in the lineup could arise.