Each passing day reminds us the Cardinals remain a long, long way from playoff contention this summer.
That’s the bad news. The good news: Despite jettisoning extraneous corner infielders Jhonny Peralta and Matt Adams, this franchise has enough duplicate pieces to build two potential fourth-place finishers in the woeful National League Central.
The Cardinals could double down on mediocrity! Each of these mythical teams, like the current consolidated squad, would meander at a sub-.500 pace but still finish ahead of the depleted Cincinnati Reds.
(Think of the possibilities. These split squads could bring 162 home games to Busch Stadium and allow Fredbird to collect serious overtime.