St. Louis Cardinals Without Pujols: 7 Reasons for Optimism

Defending a title is never easy. There is an added amount of pressure and high expectations to succeed. Scrutiny based on the previous season's accomplishments await those who do not live up to the hype.

In just a few short weeks, the St. Louis Cardinals will try to handle this very task. Oh, did I mention, they lost the face of their franchise, Albert Pujols?

The Cardinals will enter Spring Training looking to be the first team to repeat as World Series Champions in over a decade. Add to that the emotional aspect of Pujols' offseason departure and you have yourself quite the situation. 

The loss of a player of Pujols' magnitude could cripple a franchise. Not the Cardinals. Not a team that has seen October baseball in eight of the past 12 seasons. The front office does not know the meaning of the word "rebuild."

Even without Pujols, baseball will be played in St. Louis in 2012. For a franchise that will hoist its 11th World Championship banner this year, there are many reasons to believe the team can get it done without Pujols.

Adam Wainwright's Return

After finishing third for the National League Cy Young award in 2009, and second in 2010, Adam Wainwright was by many accounts the favorite to win the 2011 award. That didn't happen.

Instead, Wainwright played in exactly zero games for the Cardinals. Wainwright was experiencing elbow discomfort that would eventually lead to Tommy John surgery. With their ace lost for the season, Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan had major patchwork to do. Wainwright sat on the bench and watched the team win its second World Series title in his St. Louis tenure. 

Not being able to play last year will certainly light a fire under a competitor like Wainwright. The 6'6" hard throwing righty led the Cards in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts each of the two seasons prior to his injury. 

The return will benefit others as well. Wainwright is a major innings eater. Without him, that burden was spread amongst the rest of the staff. As a result, an aging Chris Carpenter pitched 237.1 innings last season, the second highest season total in his 14-year career.  

Having Wainwright will cut down on bullpen innings as well, allowing for additional days off. The exact amount of innings Wainwright will be able to handle after the surgery, however, is still a question.

A healthy Wainwright makes for a great "addition" to any staff.

David Freese Ready to Stay Healthy

How can you ease the pain of losing one star? Easy, watch the emergence of another.

David Freese's monstrous, MVP worthy postseason gave St. Louis added hope that things indeed can go on without Pujols. It was Freese, not Pujols that thrived in the spotlight. Freese batted .397 with five home runs and a postseason record 21 RBI. 

Having played part of three seasons for the Cardinals, Freese has suffered his fair share of injuries. As a result, Freese has yet to surpass 97 games played in a season. Ankle problems, a concussion, a broken hand and a bit of bad luck are all to blame for Freese's missed time.

2012 is a new year and the Cardinals organization is excited to see if Freese can compete for a full season. 

A career .298 hitter in 667 at bats, Freese has an average RBI total that would put him somewhere in the 80-100 range given a full season. While this does not replace Pujols, M-V-Freese is ready to take on much of the responsibility.

Beltran, Craig Add Depth, Versatility

Add talent such as Carlos Beltran and Allen Craig to any lineup and it instantly becomes dangerous. Add them to a lineup that already includes the likes of Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, David Freese, and Yadier Molina and you have yourself a lineup that opposing pitchers will fear.

Allen Craig 

The gap left by Pujols opens a spot in right field as Lance Berkman will shift to first. Craig, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, will be slotted as the everyday right fielder pending a healthy return from offseason knee surgery that requires him to miss the first month of the season.

In 2011, Craig hit an impressive .315 in 75 games (200 AB). The right-handed slugger offers the Cardinals added pop off the bat.

Craig is also a versatile field player. In only 119 games with St. Louis, Craig has already seen action at six positions, including first base. This gives the Cardinals added depth to a squad with a couple aging players. 

Soon-to-be 36-year-old Lance Berkman showed he is able to handle the work load, playing in 145 games last year. Regardless, having a viable backup is pivotal. 

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran, the "back up plan" to Pujols, signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals in December. Position wise, this move gives the Cardinals an everyday center field presence that possesses speed, power and best of all, experience. 

A career center fielder, Beltran will be asked to man right field as Craig makes his return. 

Beltran is coming off his first healthy season in the past three years, one that saw him hit .300 with 84 RBI and 22 HR. Beltran fits in St. Louis, much like Craig, because of the versatility he creates for the lineup. Jon Jay will return to the backup outfielder role, though he will see his fair share of time in an outfield that possesses four potential starters. 

This allows Beltran to catch an off night every so often. Undoubtedly, for a 34-year-old battling injuries in the recent past, this is a good thing. Beltran will look to get on base in front of the meat of the order, as he will most likely hit second. 

While Beltran and Craig bring unquestioned production to the lineup, manager Mike Matheny has to be thrilled with the many different lineup possibilities he has in front of him.

No Overpowering Team in N.L. Central

After the loss of Wainwright, many believed the division crown would come down to a battle between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were defending N.L. Central champs, and the Brewers had hard-hitting Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, among others. 

Needless to say, the Reds struggled. The Cardinals late playoff surge was enough for a Wild Card berth, but the Brewers eventually ran away with the division title.

It may be a new year, but not a whole lot changed at the bottom of the Central. It is clear that the Astros and Cubs are headed towards rebuilding.

Pittsburgh was in the mix for much of the season but faded down the stretch. They still look a few pieces short of truly competing with the big boys of the division.

Milwaukee, like St. Louis, lost their rock—Prince Fielder. A team that lived for the long ball, the Brewers also expect to be without MVP Ryan Braun for the first 50 games following a failed drug test at the end of 2011.

An aging Aramis Ramirez headlined the Brewers' offseason additions. While it's a nice move, the loss of Fielder and Braun (for 50 games) is too much to overcome. While the Brewers won't go down easy, they'll need a hot start to salvage any postseason chances.

The 2012 Reds revolve around much of the same players that won the Division in 2010. Former MVP Joey Votto leads Cincinnati, a team that will saw additions of Mat Latos and flame throwing prospect Aroldis Chapman to their rotation.

The addition of former Cardinal Ryan Ludwick adds to an already potent Reds lineup. Many believe the disappointing 2011 season in Cincinnati will not carry over to 2012 and the Reds will be ready to compete.

Expect a two team race. The Cardinals vast veteran leadership should be enough for them to prevail.

Strength of the Farm

Needless to say, a good farm system plays an important role in any sort of extended success for Major League teams. Whether a franchise grooms its players into the talent they expect in the big leagues, or use them as trade pieces to bring in proven veterans, all great teams begin at the core. 

The Cardinals are no different. Core players on the current roster that have spent time in the Cardinals’ farm system include players such as David Freese, Allen Craig, Jaime Garcia and Jason Motte, among others. 

Pitching is the clear strength of the Cardinals' minor league system. Leading the way is a pair of right-handed starters, Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez. By the end of the 2013 season, both could be part of the big league roster.

Position wise, third baseman Zach Cox and outfielder Oscar Taveras are future big league players. While not as highly regarded as the aforementioned pitchers, Cox and Taveras are certainly pieces the Cardinals have high hopes for. 

GM John Mozeliak will not be afraid to pull the trigger come trade deadline, either.

With Miller and Martinez most likely not available, players like Cox and Taveras could be key pieces to a future trade.  

Money in the Bank

In a league where "market value" drastically varies from year to year, an extra $25 million in each of the next 10 seasons is a nice thing to have. You never know what others will be willing to pay—ahem, Los Angeles—for a player they value. 

With a self-imposed salary cap somewhere between $100 and 110 million, the money saved by not signing Pujols makes up roughly a quarter of the Cardinals available money. Both Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have expiring contracts at the end of this season. The money saved would be enough to lock up both players.

Outside of resigning existing players, the money could come in handy in the future. A few years down the road might present the Cardinals the chance at signing a marquee free agent or trading for All-Star level talent—a task that requires money.

While Pujols would have been nice, the sound of $250 million might sound sweeter to the ears of St. Louis come trade deadline

Aggressive Front Office

The glue that holds everything together. The puppet master. The mastermind behind it all. Whatever you want to call him, John Mozeliak is the man that assembled a World Series championship team. 

Fresh off the firing of former GM Walt Jocketty, Mozeliak was thrown to the wolves. His task? Fix a team that had been to three League Championships and two World Series in the past four years. 

In only his fourth season as General Manager, Mozeliak did just that. In four short years, he remolded a team back into championship form. Sure, a lot of key pieces were already in place, but a lot of work still had to be done.

Just two weeks on the job and what does Mozeliak do? He traded fan favorite Jim Edmonds for a prospect. Edmonds was aging, but one prospect? That prospect was David Freese. 

In four years Mozeliak has brought in talent such as Matt Holliday, Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook, Lance Berkman, Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel and Rafael Furcal, all key pieces to his championship team.

The loss of Pujols, while problematic, is a challenge Mozeliak is ready to tackle. With the available money and his aggressive nature, there is never a time to be pessimistic for Cardinals fans.