After an awful season in 2023, mostly due to poor starting pitching, the Cardinals revamped their rotation by adding veteran ace Sonny Gray to headline the new staff. Unfortunately, it looks like Gray might not be ready for Opening Day as he suffered a hamstring strain in his second Spring Training start. After finishing second in Cy Young voting in 2023, Gray was expected to carry the rotation to playoff contention. Is that fair to ask of him, or is it too big a burden for one player to bear?

After joining the Cardinals as a free agent in 2023, Willson Contreras was exactly as advertised. However, after pitching struggles the Cardinals didn't agree with his defense and removed him from catching duties for some time. Despite being the scapegoat for the majority of the Cardinals' struggles in 2023, Contreras bounced back in a big way as one of the best hitters in all of baseball in the second half of the season. Will Contreras carry his momentum into 2024 as an anchor in the Cardinals' lineup?

For the Cardinals' first offseason move, they shocked fans by bringing back old friend Lance Lynn. After career worst numbers in 2023, we're not sure how much Lynn has left in the tank. He posted abysmal numbers with the White Sox and was worse by many metrics with the Dodgers. His Postseason performance was also dreadful. But, are we optimistic about Lynn's outlook in 2024? Surely he'll be better than the combination of Wainwright and Woodford and give some quality starts, right?

Terrible news for the Cardinals as Sonny Gray has a hamstring strain that will likely leave him out of Opening Day plans. What will the Cardinals do from here, how can they rebound from this injury, and does this change the season outlook for 2024? Will the Cardinals be involved in the Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell markets or will they stand pat and wait for Gray to recover?

Nolan Gorman's breakout was one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals in 2023. Can he carry his momentum into 2024 and emerge as the Cardinals' third hitter in the lineup? After an abysmal month of June, Gorman's season outlook was dampened a bit, but we're sure he won't have a month that bad in 2024. If Gorman stays healthy, he could become the much needed left-handed power bat to thrust the Cardinals into contention.

As Spring Training games kick into gear Katie Woo of The Athletic joins us to give us some early impressions from camp. Which prospects are performing well? How will the bullpen roster battles turn out? How about the sixth starter in the rotation? How does Brandon Crawford factor into the Cardinals' plans this year? Will Tommy Edman be ready to start the season on time? We've got your questions answered and we'll do our best to temper some overreactions...

Once one of the most promising young bats in the Cardinals organization, Dylan Carlson has been relegated to a fourth outfielder after a disappointing 2023 season. Will we see Carlson bounce back from his injuries? Will he get more opportunities this season with Tommy Edman's injury? Will the Cardinals move on from him in a trade? There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Carlson this season and we're here to break it all down.

Jordan Walker's rise as a rookie in 2023 went largely under the radar due to the Cardinals' performance and his poor defense. But, he was one of the top offensive players in an already elite Cardinals lineup. Can he take that step forward in 2024 and become an All-Star caliber player? We sure think he can! Many projection systems think Walker will be the best hitter on the Cardinals and he certainly has the potential.

Steven Matz hasn't quite lived up to expectations since signing with the Cardinals in 2022, but he's one of the starters with the highest ceiling for 2024. Will Matz be able to stay healthy and pitch toward the front of the Cardinals' rotation? Could Matz be the second-best starter on the roster behind Sonny Gray? He's one of the most important pieces for the Cards to be successful this year.

Spring Training is in full swing but the Chicago Cubs have made their big signing of the offseason bringing back Cody Bellinger on a 3-year deal. Did this move propel the Cubs over the Cardinals as NL Central favorites for 2024? Can the Cardinals equalize with a similar move this late in the offseason? How do the two rivals stack up for 2024?