It's natural to feel like speeding past the pain of another early postseason ejection for the Cardinals and fast forward to free-agent shopping for 2023, but some examination of components that contributed to another October collapse should occur first.
Before fans whip themselves into a frenzy about which players the Cardinals should add – some will be realistic, some will not – their favorite team needs to take a long, hard look at how a regular season filled with history made and fun moments produced derailed immediately in the National League Wild Card despite hosting a higher-seeded opponent at home.