65. ZiPS, Copium, and the Truth About the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals

ZIPS projections are out… and Cardinals fans are once again staring straight into the void.

In this episode of Redbird Rundown, we dig into Dan Szymborski’s ZIPS projections from FanGraphs and ask the only questions that matter:
👉 Are the Cardinals actually better than they look on paper?
👉 Who’s being underrated, overrated, or outright disrespected?
👉 And how much copium is too much copium?

We break down:

• Mason Winn’s surprising place among MLB shortstops

• Why the offense still feels… thin

• Bullpen projections that don’t pass the sniff test

• Optimism (and skepticism) around Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan

• Why JJ Weatherholt has become the fanbase’s collective emotional support prospect

• And how stolen bases might quietly become this team’s identity

Plus:
🧠 A very real debate about truth vs. consequences
🩺 A shockingly detailed discussion of the piriformis
💸 $100 over/under bets that may or may not age terribly

This isn’t doom. This isn’t blind optimism.
It’s January Cardinals baseball discourse at its purest.

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