As we speak, the Jays, Rays and Twins are all tied for the first, second and third wild card spots. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in the standings in June. The Jays bats mostly kept rolling against the Twins, which means that there is reason to believe this team might be a lot closer to the team in mid to late May than the team through most of April and early May. Desperate hopes springs eternal.
The Jays tough road trip continues with a three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium starting tonight at 7:45pm. The Cardinals are 36-29 on the season, four games behind the Cubs in the division and a game out of the third wild card spot.
I reached out to Heather Simon, the site manager for Viva El Birdos (one of my favourite SBNation site names), who had participated in this last year as Lil_Scooter and she was kind enough to do so again, answering some questions about the Cardinals. She also sent me some Blue Jays questions, so it you want to angrily disagree with my responses, you can find them on VEB here: https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/6/9/24445752/breaking-down-the-cardinals-blue-jays-matchup-with-bluebird-banter
Cubs and Brewers are surging—do Cardinals fans still think the division is winnable?
Of course I gotta say yes! The Cubs are rolling, and the Brewers have found a rhythm, but the Cardinals have clawed their way back into the conversation with a strong May. There’s a cautious optimism— if the Cardinals truly have the talent to stay in the race, it’ll take sustained consistency to make up ground. The Cardinals still have ten games left to play against the Brewers and have yet to play any games against the Cubs yet, so there will be opportunities to gain ground. We are hopeful, but I think a lot of us are watching for signs that this isn’t just a hot streak.
Matthew Liberatore has transformed from bullpen depth to near-elite starter. What changed?
It’s wild, right? Liberatore is suddenly pitching like the guy the Cardinals hoped they were getting in the Randy Arozarena trade. The biggest shift? His pitch mix. He’s commanding his fastball better, leaning more on a sharper slider, and sequencing everything more effectively. His curveball—which was always good—is now a weapon instead of just a secondary pitch. Plus, his velocity has ticked up slightly, making all of his stuff play better. He’s attacking hitters with confidence, going deeper into games, and finally looking like a guy who belongs in the top half of the rotation instead of just filling innings. Not to plug my own stuff, but I actually just wrote about this very thing on Sunday if anyone is interested in reading about this in more detail.
Masyn Winn keeps improving—are extension talks happening yet?
Not officially, but there’s been a lot of speculation as you might have guessed. Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants floated something in the range of an eight-year, $100 million deal and ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggested Winn could be looking at a deal of $100 million or more, but I haven’t heard anything concrete from the organization. Looking back on how the Cardinals have typically done these deals, Winn seems like that type of player that Cardinals would try to lock up longer term. He’s proving he’s a legitimate everyday shortstop, at the plate, on the basepaths, and in the field, and his value only increases as he continues to refine his approach.
Which prospect are Cardinals fans most excited to see debut?
So there are a few. Fans have been wanting to see Tink Hence, though injuries have slowed him down. Tekoah Roby was just named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month. Thomas Saggese is getting close to being on the major league roster soon. The hot name right now though is Quinn Matthews. He’s been dominant in Triple-A lately, flashing the kind of command and strikeout ability that has fans excited about his eventual call-up. He’s currently ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect and their top pitching prospect, and his recent outings have only strengthened his case for a promotion. Mathews has steadily climbed through the system, showing elite strikeout upside and improved velocity compared to his college days. His fastball now sits in the 93-96 mph range, and he’s maintained that velocity deep into games. If the Cardinals need rotation help later this season, he could be one of the first arms they turn to.
Favorite player to watch right now?
I’ll give you a couple. First, I have to shout out Brendan Donovan. The guy just keeps finding ways to contribute. Whether it’s multi-hit games, clutch RBIs, or just steady defense, he’s quietly been one of the most valuable pieces on the roster this year. Masyn Winn has been a Cardinals spark plug. He’s hitting for a 120 wRC+ with six homers and his defense continues to be a standout part of his game. His range and arm strength at shortstop remain elite, ranking in the 98th percentile for fielding range and 86th percentile for arm strength.
But my very literal answer is Ryan Helsley. He has struggled a bit this season compared to the dominance he has displayed in prior seasons, but I love to watch that slider. And at home games he walks out to the song “Hells Bells” by AC/DC and they change the lighting to flash red around the stadium. It is just rad.
If you could take any Cardinals rookie from history and drop them into this team, who would it be?
It would probably be foolish to pick anyone but Albert Pujols (2001), right? That just feels like the clear answer. Imagine dropping his rookie-year production—.329 average, 37 homers, 130 RBIs—into this lineup. The offense would go from solid to terrifying overnight. Hard to beat. But if I couldn’t pick him? This might be a weird answer, and I am not sure how he’d fit on this team (I should probably pick a pitcher, honestly) but rookie Matt Carpenter was a darn good hitter. In just a half of a season of plate appearances he hit 22 doubles, slashed for .294/.365/.463 for a 124 wRC+. Another answer I considered was Ray Lankford — be pretty nice to have someone stealing 44 bases.
Thanks Heather!