One reason Why St Louis wins: they don't worry about signing a guy like Jhonny Peralta, who many would describe as being in his "decline phase," to a 4 yr, $53M contract, to play SS no less. They're not looking to "get younger," they're not worried about "blocking" some minor leaguer, and they're confident in their own assessment of the player and his ability. So far, they've been rewarded with a 116 OPS+ in 2014, and a 142 OPS+ to date in 2015. They figure the best way to win is to put the best players on the field, and they don't care where they get em from.