The Brewers’ run through the National League Championship Series has to feel familiar in St. Louis, and not in a bad way.
Milwaukee just swept the Dodgers and booked its first World Series trip since 1982, when the Cardinals beat them in seven games. More important for the Cardinals, the Brewers did it the hard way - by building from within and turning that into a roster good enough to run right through one of baseball’s biggest spenders.
That’s the part that should matter most to Cardinals fans. The Brewers are not operating like the Dodgers, who can overwhelm teams with spending.
Milwaukee assembled this group through drafting, development, and patience, then watched it perform on the biggest stage in the National League. For a franchise trying to chart its own path back, that’s proof of concept.
St. Louis hasn’t reached the postseason since 2022, but the organization is a few steps closer after its young core came together in 2026.
The Cardinals are leaning into the same general blueprint Milwaukee has used so effectively. They can spend more than some smaller-market clubs, including the Brewers, but they are not built to play in the Dodgers’ financial lane.
They also do not have to be.
The Cardinals are not expected to jump into the market for a player like Tarik Skubal this offseason. That isn’t the model.
Their hope rests elsewhere, in the players already in place and the ones still coming. Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera are already part of that core, while Leo Bernal has also emerged.
On top of that, the farm system is loaded with pitching.
That approach isn’t new for St. Louis.
It’s closer to the way the Cardinals have traditionally found success: develop your own talent, spend when it fits, and avoid chasing every expensive name on the market. The Brewers are showing that formula can still win now, not just someday.
So while Milwaukee’s sweep sent the Brewers to the World Series, it also offered the Cardinals a reminder of what a sustainable contender can look like. The Brewers are the model franchise right now, much like the Cardinals were last decade.
If St. Louis can get this formula right, the path back to the top is there - and the 12th World Series title won’t feel nearly as far away.
In Other News...
Jordan Walkers Breakout Just Added Fuel To A Cardinals Debate
Jordan Walkers breakout season gave the Cardinals one of the few unquestioned bright spots in a mixed 2026 campaign, and it also put his name squarely into a conversation that feels bigger than one award. He was an All-Star, won the Home Run Derby, and finished as a Hank Aaron Award finalist, a run of recognition that underscored just how far his game had come after a strong year in St. Louis.
So it stood out when Walker was left off the finalists for the MLB Players Choice Awards Comeback Player of the Year, a group that included Sandy Alcantara, Martin Perez and Zack Wheeler. None of those pitchers were coming off injuries the previous season, but the omission still adds a little fuel to the debate around how Walkers season should be framed, and whether his leap was being viewed as a true comeback or something else entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Former Orioles Lefty Finds A New Chance After Brutal Setback
Nick Raquets path back to a mound took another turn this week, and it came with a bit of long-term security attached. The former Orioles left-hander has signed a two-year minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, giving him a home while he works through the recovery from Tommy John surgery and the long rehab that follows.
Raquet is set to miss the entire 2027 season, but the deal keeps him in the organization with a clear runway toward a return in 2028. For a pitcher coming off such a brutal setback, the arrangement is as much about patience as it is opportunity, with Detroit already planning to have him in the mix once he is healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Linked To A Power Bat Who Could Solve A Tricky Need
The Cardinals have spent enough time searching for offense that a name like Eugenio Suarez makes immediate sense. A veteran third baseman with proven power, Suarez is coming off a productive stretch and could fit as a relatively cost-effective way for St. Louis to add some much-needed punch to the middle of the lineup while they sort out an infield picture that has room for another impact bat.
Money and timing make the fit interesting, too. St. Louis is weighing roster needs against financial caution, and the broader uncertainty around MLBs next labor landscape only adds another layer to any offseason plan. Suarez would not solve every issue on his own, but for a club trying to stay competitive without overcommitting, he looks like the kind of target that could help bridge a tricky gap. [Read more 🡒]