Cardinals Rival Shockingly Linked To Phenom Slugger, Making Division Tougher

St. Louis might have a more difficult time chasing the division title in 2025

October 18, 2011; St. Louis, MO. USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during World Series media day at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Cardinals will play the Texas Rangers tomorrow in game one of the 2011 World Series. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have lost the National League Central title to the Milwaukee Brewers for the last two seasons and it's time to stop that trend.

For the last two seasons, the Brewers have exceeded expectations and dominated, while St. Louis continues to promise that a turnaround is imminent despite little change.

If the Cardinals front office doesn't make the right moves this offseason, winning the division next year could be much more difficult -- especially if an NL Central foe makes a gutsy move.

"(Juan) Soto, 26 in October, will surely test the free-agent market and is expected to command a contract north of $500 million," FanSided's Robert Murray reported Friday. "The New York Yankees will try to retain Soto and the New York Mets loom as a threat to sign Soto." Murray went on to say, "Other teams that make sense include the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs."

Soto is batting .288 with 75 extra-base hits including 40 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .996 OPS in 150 games played for the Yankees this season.

It's safe to say that Soto will be the offseason's top prize after the 25-year-old's incredible start to his career. At such a young age, he already has four All-Star appearances, four Silver Slugger awards, a batting title and a World Series championship ring when he won it all with the Washington Nationals in 2019.

If Chicago were to pull it somehow off and acquire the Yankee superstar this offseason, the Cardinals would have a much more challenging path to the division crown than before. Perhaps St. Louis could counteract a potential Cubs-Soto deal with its own blockbuster.

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