The number is 10.

This number, known to many baseball fans as the magic number, represents the total number of any Cardinals victories or Cubs losses in order for the Cardinals to clinch the National League Central Division. The Cardinals were in no position to win the division when the last school year wrapped up, but since then, the Cards have made many transactions to prime themselves to be successful in the playoffs.

On July 26 the Cardinals had just 53 wins in comparison to 48 loses, winning less than 53 percent of their games since the season started. As of September 15 the Cardinals record is 85-60, having won 59 percent of their games since the start of the season.

Since July 26 the Cardinals have gone an unprecedented 32-12, winning over 73 percent of their games, an incredibly high winning percentage in professional baseball. These changes were fueled by three major trades over the summer.

In late June, the Cardinals traded for third baseman Mark DeRosa from the Cleveland Indians, who was acquired for two pitching prospects. On July 22, the Cards dealt Chris Duncan and another player to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Julio Lugo. Two days later, on July 24, the Cardinals made their biggest move yet when they traded one of the nation’s top hitting prospects, Brett Wallace, and two other players for Oakland Athletics’ outfielder Matt Holliday.

“I was elated by all three trades,” said Chemistry teacher and Cardinal fan Nathan Peck, who attends of 30 to 40 games each year. “I was excited most by trading for Matt Holiday. Holliday can protect Albert Pujols at the plate, which is great for both players. “

“People are appreciative of what we’re doing,” Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on August 23. “In the last few weeks it’s been a very positive experience. I don’t want to insinuate it was brutal before. You always take the good with the bad.”

Mozeliak’s good mood can be directly attributed to the Cardinals’ performance. Also, since trading for Holliday, ticket sales increased, and the games immediately after his acquisition sold out.

“Mark DeRosa is great because we were weak at third base,” said Peck. “[Troy] Glaus was on the disabled list and Joe Thurston was not cutting it with a .225 batting average. Julio Lugo is a great addition because he is costing us little money and he takes the pressure off of Khalil Greene who is dealing with anxiety issues. Unfortunately, we could lose a valuable asset, Coach Duncan, to the team because of the trade [of his son].”

Even though the trades have brought the team great success, there could be one cause for concern, as Peck pointed out. The Cardinal’s highly regarded pitching coach, Dave Duncan, is the father of Chris Duncan, a Cardinals player traded this summer. Dave Duncan was upset with the trade and publicly renounced the actions of the club and fans toward his son. He expressed indecision on whether he would return to coach in St. Louis. Top pitching coaches like Duncan, who has shown the ability to help weak pitchers turn into stars, are rare, so this could pose a problem for future Redbird baseball.

“Matt Holliday will only be worth it if we resign him,” sophomore Michael Buse said, speaking of the Cardinals’ biggest acquisition. “Though he has given us a great boost, we lost top prospect Brett Wallace when we traded for him. If we do resign Holliday next year, the trades will be well worth it.”

As Buse said, losing Wallace was tough, as he was rated as a top hitting prospect in the nation. Holliday’s contract only runs through for this year, so many debate whether it is worth sending away players of the future for a star for possibly only one year.