The 2018 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 137th for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), a franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the 127th season for the Cardinals in the National League, and their 13th at Busch Stadium III.
Forbes ranked the Cardinals as the seventh-highest valued team of the 30 teams in 2017 for its $1.9 billion valuation (+6%), with a $319 million revenue, and $40 million operating income. The Cardinals also had baseball's second-highest local television rating, averaging 7.18 on FS Midwest. On September 29, the Dodgers beat the Giants, keeping the Cardinals out of the playoffs for a third consecutive season, a first since 1997–1999.
Until 2023, the 2018 season was the last season that the Cardinals missed the playoffs.
Off-season
Overview
Busch Stadium update The Cardinals removed several sections of seats in right field and began construction on a new mingling area like the ones at Coors Field (Colorado Rockies), and Petco Park (San Diego Padres). The area will have bars and open spaces from which to watch games, and it will be open to all fans at the ballpark. The Cardinals sold ticket subscriptions this past year, and such a mix zone in the ballpark would be a place to go for standing-room only. The area is scheduled to open with the 2018 season. The new space will be called Budweiser Terrace, renovating a area that cost the club 1,000 seats from six sections on the fourth level. In their place, they will be adding two full-service bars, standing areas, and lounge seating from which fans can still view the full playing field. This area will be used by live bands/DJs and for outdoor games, Cardinals Theme Ticket events and other pregame performances. Seating and lounge areas in the Budweiser Terrace will be available to fans on a first-come, first-served basis and will not require a special ticket for access. The renovations are scheduled to be completed ahead of the Cardinals' 2018 home opener on April 5. The website is: http://www.cardinals.com/budweiserterrace.
Injuries Adam Wainwright was scheduled to undergo elbow surgery on October 3, 2017, for a bone bruise there; he will have a piece of cartilage shaved down. Doctors said he will need six weeks of recovery before beginning rehabilitation. He last pitched two innings in relief on September 23, 2017, before the Cardinals shut him down for the remainder of 2017. He finished the season 12–5 with a 5.11 ERA. Only eight of his 23 starts registered as quality.
Coaching staff changes
The Cardinals wasted no time making changes to personnel after the October 1, 2017, end to that frustrating baseball season with a third-place finish, their lowest since 2008. Pitching coach Derek Lilliquist and bullpen coach Blaise Ilsley were told on October 3, 2017, they would not be retained for the 2018 season. John Mozeliak, President of Baseball Operations noted that the organization would like to employ a pitching coach who is more willing to utilize advanced metrics and data compiled by the baseball operations staff. The Cardinals were among a growing number of teams to utilize an eight-man bullpen for the majority of the season, a move that came out of a league wide trend of starters not pitching as deeply into games. That has made in-game pitching decisions more complex and increasingly data driven. After posting a Major-League low 2.94 ERA in 2015, the Cardinals' team ERA jumped to 4.08 in 2016, and 4.01 in 2017. Those represented the club's highest season ERAs since Matheny took over as manager. Mozeliak said he expects the rest of manager Mike Matheny's staff to return in 2018. The exception to that is Ron "Pop" Warner, who stepped in as "quality control coach" when the organization underwent a midseason 2017 staff shakeup. Warner is likely to return to his previous role of assistant field coordinator. Bench coach for the past three seasons, David Bell, left the team on October 20, 2017, to become the vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants.
On October 23, 2017, the Cardinals announced that Jose Oquendo, 54, would return as third base coach, after a two-year hiatus in which he recovered from multiple knee surgeries and served as a special assistant to the general manager at the team's Roger Dean Stadium (Jupiter, Florida) complex. Before his March 2016 leave of absence, he served for 16 years in that same job title, and played the majority of his 12-year career with the Cardinals, 1986–95. Former centerfielder and 1985 NL MVP, Willie McGee, 58, joins the coaching staff for the first time, not yet given a job title. He was a special assistant to the GM in 2013, after an 18-year playing career; 13 with the Cardinals, 1982–90, 1996–99. He has become a regular guest instructor at Spring Training, and he made frequent visits to the organization's affiliates to assist with instruction. Mike Shildt, 48, has been promoted to bench coach from quality control and then third base coach in his 2017 position as a first-year coach, filling the vacancy left when David Bell accepted a job with the San Francisco Giants. Shildt previously managed for eight years in the Cardinals' farm system. Ron ("Pop") Warner will return to his role as assistant field coordinator.
Three days after hiring their third base coach and bench coach, the Cardinals on October 26, hired long-time MLB pitching coach Mike Maddux, 56, older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux. Mike Maddux was the Washington Nationals pitching coach for the past two seasons. The Cardinals also promoted AAA-Memphis pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd, 48, as their new bullpen coach, who has been a pitching coach for 15 years, including the last five with Memphis.
Player acquisitions and departures
2017 On November 2, LH Zach Duke, RH Lance Lynn, Juan Nicasio, and Seung Hwan Oh elected to be free agents.
On November 6, the Cardinals decided to give an unconditional release to RH (former) closer Trevor Rosenthal, making him a free agent. He was in recovery from Tommy John surgery from August, making him unavailable for most of the 2018 season. Rosenthal was under team control for 2018, but the Cardinals would have had to pay him a salary well beyond what he would be able to pitch. Other moves from the 40-man roster included removing SS Alex Mejia and C Alberto Rosario both outrighted to the AAA-Memphis Redbirds, bringing the roster down from 36 to 34, with Rosenthal on the 60-day disabled list. The Cardinals put a higher value on keeping a roster spot open for the coming season and this winter. They have a handful of prospects that must be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The deadline to do that is November 20, 7pm CT. As expected, the Cardinals tendered a qualifying offer to RH starter Lance Lynn, 30. The one-year, $17.4-million deal will be rejected by Lynn as he enters free agency. It does mean that the Cardinals will secure a compensatory draft pick if Lynn signs with another team. That pick will come after the second round. Shortstop Paul DeJong is one of the top three vote-getters for the National League Rookie of the Year award. No other free agents with the Cardinals were offered a qualifying offer. Lynn has until 4pm CT on Thu. November 16 to decide whether to accept or decline the qualifying offer. He is expected to decline. If he signs elsewhere, the value of his new contract would not be a factor in determining the slot of that Competitive Balance Round B pick. He made a team-high 33 starts in 2017, finishing with an 11–8 record and 3.43 ERA. His home run rate (1.3 per nine innings) and walk rate (10.1 percent) were career highs, but Lynn's durability and career 124 ERA+ should make him one of the more attractive free-agent starters. Lynn rejected the qualifying offer, and became a first-time free agent, one of nine players in MLB who also rejected the $17.4 million one-year offer.
The Cardinals receive a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick (#39), assigned between the first and second rounds because of the reverse order in the standings from the 2017 season. They will also pick #19 in the first round.
The Cardinals added four players to the 40-man roster before the 7pm CT deadline on November 20, to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, bringing the roster to 39. The categories are: 19 pitchers, 2 catchers, 9 infielders, and 9 outfielders. Protected are three in the team's Top 20 prospects: RHP Derian Gonzalez (22), LHP Austin Gomber (24 on Nov. 23, 2017; #15 prospect), plus two OF's: Tyler O'Neill (22; #4 prospect), and Oscar Mercado (22, #18 prospect). The most notable player left unprotected by the Cardinals is corner infielder Patrick Wisdom, who slugged .507 with 25 doubles, 31 homers and 89 RBIs for AAA-Memphis last season. He will be available for Rule 5 selection, along with Daniel Poncedeleon, Matt Pearce, Trey Nielsen, Andrew Morales and others. Wisdom has been passed over in the Rule 5 Draft before. O'Neill was acquired in a Trade Deadline swap with the Seattle Mariners in July 2017, and the former third-round pick finished the year with 31 homers and 95 RBIs at the Triple-A level. O'Neill has a career .850 OPS in the Minors. Gomber was a fourth-round selection by the Cardinals in the 2013 MLB draft, he went 10–7 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.168 WHIP and 140 strikeouts over 143 innings at Double-A Springfield in '17. Mercado was drafted as a shortstop in the 2013 MLB draft, he became a full-time outfielder for the first time in 2017. He coupled a smooth defensive transition with his best offensive season, slashing .287/.341/.428 with a .769 OPS in 120 games with Double-A Springfield. Mercado, then followed with a standout showing in the Arizona Fall League. Gonzalez went 4–7 with a 4.33 ERA in 18 games (15 starts) for Class A Advanced Palm Beach last season. In 79 innings, Gonzalez struck out 72, walked 30 and posted a 1.37 WHIP. The Cardinals signed Gonzalez as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in September 2012. Eligibility for the Rule 5 Draft is dependent upon how old a player was when he signed with the organization. Players who signed at the age of 18 or younger become eligible after five seasons. Those who were 19 or older have four years before they must be protected. This year's Rule 5 Draft is scheduled for December 14, the final day of baseball's Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
SS Aledmys Diaz, 27, was traded for minor leaguer (A-level, Midwest League) OF prospect J.B. Woodman, 22, in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, on December 1, dropping the 40-man roster number to 38. Diaz hit .259 with a .682 OPS in 79 games. Woodman, the Jays' second-round Draft pick in 2016, was Toronto's No. 28 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. The left-handed-hitting outfielder batted .240 with a .699 OPS, seven home runs and eight steals in 96 games for the Class A Lansing in 2017. Woodman, who turns 23 on Dec. 13, has mostly played center and right field. Starter Michael Wacha, OF'er Randal Grichuk, and LH-reliever Tyler Lyons, all arbitration-eligible, were unsurprisingly offered contracts for next season.
On December 5, the Cardinals signed RH starter Miles Mikolas, 29, in a two-year deal for $15.5 million. He had pitched in Japan (Yomiuri Giants) since 2015, with a record over 62 games of 31–13 with a 2.18 ERA, striking out 378 batters in innings. In 2017, he had an 8.13 strikeouts/walk rate. He last pitched in MLB for the Texas Rangers in 2014. He was born in Jupiter, Florida, where the Cardinals hold spring training.