It would be great if their similarities were highlighted in the wins column, as the Yankees have nearly twice as many wins as they have losses. Instead, it's because of the drama happening away from the field.
There's always going to be distractions in New York, whether the Yankees are winning or losing. In St. Louis, they only seem to happen when the ballclub doesn't live up to its lofty expectations.
First it began with John Mozeliak, the Cardinals president of baseball operations, making comments about outfield Dexter Fowler. Mozeliak was speaking to Fox Sports Midwest broadcaster Dan McLaughlin and called into question Fowler's energy level and effort, saying, "I really think everyone just needs to take a hard look in the mirror."
Translation: Mozeliak isn't pleased with Fowler's performance.
Although Mozeliak tried to walk back on his comments, the damage had already been done. When Fowler returned from paternity leave for this weekend's series against the San Francisco Giants, he told reporters, "I'm playing as hard as I can. I'm trying as hard as I can. If I get the right opportunity, things will happen."
Of course, that had to be Fowler's response. No player is going to say, "You know what? I am batting just .171, and even though I am making $16.5 million this season, maybe it's best I shouldn't play."
The story doesn't end there. Now the newest development is Fowler and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny are barely on speaking terms, according to a report from The Athletic.
Have we gone back in time? Is this the Yankees team from the late 1970s we are talking about?
Obviously, we haven't, but this is the kind of thing that happens when a team that made the postseason on an annual basis suddenly can't figure out how to extend its stay into October.
The other obvious conclusion: Something's gotta give.
The Cardinals need to start winning, a change in the lineup has to be made or a change in leadership has to happen.
Winning would be the easiest solution for all parties involved. St. Louis has been in third place in the NL Central for quite some time, hovering four games above the .500 mark with a week to play before the All-Star break.
Twelve years ago, an 83-win season turned into a World Series title for the Cardinals. In 2018, an 83-win season means you were eliminated from postseason contention with a week left in the regular season.
Giving Fowler more playing time would diffuse one problem, but it could easily create another. Even after trading Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk in the offseason, the Cardinals still have a crowded outfield.
Harrison Bader has been filling in nicely for a slumping Fowler, and although Tyler O'Neill is currently on the disabled list, the numbers he has been putting up in Memphis make it hard to justify leaving him at Triple-A.
So if more wins don't start piling up, and the lineup can't figure itself out, that leaves one last option: firing Matheny.
In the past half-century, the Cardinals haven't fired a manager that has posted a winning record every season, something teams like the Nationals and Red Sox have done lately. Teams like that have made it clear. Anything short of a World Series title could result in termination.
The Cardinals have never been one of those teams. In fact, since the Cardinals fired Joe Torre in 1995, the Los Angeles Angels are the only MLB team that hasn't fired their manager in the past 23 years.
Matheny, who had no managerial experience prior to taking over for the Cardinals in 2012, became the first MLB manager to reach the postseason in each of his first four seasons. However, that's quickly becoming a distant memory for Cardinals fans who are clamoring for his firing if St. Louis fails to make a postseason for a third straight year.
I can't justify firing a manager who wins more than he loses. If the Cardinals fire Matheny, then they have become the Yankees, but for all the wrong reasons.