More former Cardinals have a chance to win the World Series

Shohei Ohtani…Mookie Betts…Freddie Freeman…Aaron Judge…Juan Soto and so on.

Here in St. Louis, where there is hardly any intensive action in the postseason, we ask ourselves a different question.

First, now that the Yankees are back in the World Series for the first time since 2009, when will the Cardinals get serious about ending their own too-long losing streak?

For a long time, the lament over the Cardinals' absence from the World Series since 2013 was watered down by those recalling how long it took the Yankees to get back. No longer. The Yankees are back on the baseball mountain.

They say they are returning to their roots in player development and are willing to make sacrifices at the major league level to get it right. It might take a while, folks.

And second: Which former Cardinals player should now become a World Series star? It seems less a question of if and more of who and how, right?

There is a proven and active trend of ex-Cards shining for other teams in the postseason. This World Series offers three compelling options. All have become important (and affordable) pieces for their respective salary giants en route to the first Dodgers-Yankees World Series since 1981.

After blowing his chance to slam the door on the Mets in his final National League Championship Series start, Jack Flaherty gets a chance at redemption in the World Series opener.

Which version of Flaherty will face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole?

The former Cardinals starter hit a great pitch against the Mets in his first NLCS appearance, pitching seven scoreless innings in a lopsided Dodgers win. But the Padres picked him up for four runs in 5⅓ innings in the National League Division Series, and the Mets hit him for eight runs in just three innings the second time they saw him in the NLCS.

A strong showing from Flaherty in the World Series could set him up well for his upcoming free agency. However, his ERA this postseason is 7.04, with the opponent's slugging percentage at .509.

“He’s seen it all,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after announcing Flaherty as his Game 1 pick. “Even looking at his last start in New York, (Flaherty) himself admitted that a certain part of that game got faster for him. I think that's a lesson to be learned. This is another moment of experience for him that can help him in this series right now. We got through it. We edited it. I think he's healthy now. He will deliver a good song on Friday.”

Aside from Ohtani's largely deferred (for now) record deal with the Dodgers, there may be no better bargain in this big-money showdown than new Yankees closer Luke Weaver.

A lot has changed for Weaver since he was a rotation candidate for the Cardinals and moved to the Diamondbacks during the Paul Goldschmidt span. He lost his footing as a starter, bounced around multiple teams and lived the stressful life on waivers before joining the full-time backup team.

With the Yankees, Weaver went from being a cheap bullpen option and/or backup starter to a reliable relief arm and eventually the go-to choice for Yankees manager Aaron Boone when trying to put a game on ice. Weaver received a $2 million contract that includes incentives and a team-friendly option for next season. Weaver posted a 2.89 ERA in 62 appearances during the regular season and was even better in the postseason. He finished seven of the eight games he appeared in, made four saves in five chances, earned one win and lowered his ERA to 2.61. He struck out 12 while walking just one.

“Since the end of spring training, his last two appearances in spring training, he's really started to look good,” Boone told reporters earlier this offseason. “I remember the opening series of the (regular season) in Houston, and he's kind of our long-term guy, maybe a sixth starter at some point. We're not really sure of the role. From the jump it was truly excellent. We saw the outstanding four-seam fastball, cutter and change-up. And with that, real command. So he's got the command, the increase in things that we've seen from him as a backup, but also I think with some of the tweaks that he's made to his performance over the winter that weren't immediately noticeable in spring training has got him really taken to another level.”

Dodger Nation (and the rest of the nation) were probably surprised when Tommy Edman surpassed the Dodgers' superstars to capture the NLCS MVP award. There isn't that much here. Edman's versatility was on display early and often during his half-decade in St. Louis, so it's no wonder he continued to show it after the Dodgers acquired him in the three-team trade deadline deal that included Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham (short term) were sent to the Cardinals.

Edman's previous pleasant surprises included switching between second base, shortstop and center field with elite defense at each position. His latest hit is “Hitting Cleanup,” providing new proof of his “Hit Anywhere” philosophy. He enters the World Series with a six-game postseason hitting streak and a postseason slash line of .341/.333/.477. That's a postseason on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .810. Not bad considering only Betts and Ohtani have more value among the Dodgers with more than 40 postseason at-bats.

“You see how he fits all over the diamond, the addition to our team with the speed, you can see the baseball instincts,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told ESPN about Edman. “And obviously this moment doesn’t bother him.”

Former Cardinals will leave their fingerprints all over this highly anticipated fall classic. Enjoy the star power. Just don't be surprised, given recent history, if it's an old friend who tips the series in his team's favor.