While musing about the exasperating state of his team heading into the All-Star break, Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein noted that executives are performers, too.
The Cardinals are accustomed to perennial contention. They have maintained a self-renewing talent base through smart drafting, savvy international investment and strong player development.
They kept growing replacements in their farm system and trading from their surplus. But their surplus has been depleted by trades and injuries, like the broken hand that shelved promising third baseman Elehuris Montero.
The "Hackgate" sanctions hurt, too, costing the franchise two high picks in 2017.