The collapse of the Cardinal Way

The Cardinal Way was once considered the organization’s blueprint for success. The team was very successful for many decades with this philosophy. Despite the groundbreaking changes, the Cardinals stuck with this mindset and continued to be successful. In recent years, however, the Cardinals have not been very successful. The team appears to be on the verge of missing the postseason for the second year in a row. It’s safe to say that the Cardinal Way is falling apart.

Strange and questionable things have happened in the organization

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When things fall apart in sports, it doesn’t just happen abruptly. Usually it’s a slow and gradual process, and strange things happen along the way. This goes beyond the Cardinals’ lack of postseason success in recent years. Despite a successful run, the team surprisingly fired manager Mike Shildt after the 2021 season. I didn’t expect that. Franchise legend Yadier Molina has apparently decided to opt out during the 2022 season. Very strange and abnormal to me. Then there was St. Louis replacing nine-time Gold Glove winner Molina with Willson Contreras. Contreras has never won a Gold Glove in his career. That wasn’t on my bingo card. This season saw the dysfunctional yet strange call-up of young talent Jordan Walker. Not something I expected from this organization.

As you can see, there is a pattern of escalation. The Cardinals front office has consistently made strange and questionable decisions. It was only a matter of time before it affected on-field performance. It reached a peak in 2023 that has impacted this season as well.

The lack of success in player development

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At one point, St. Louis regularly turned unknown talent into solid players, sometimes even stars. This is exactly why opposing teams feared trading with the Cardinals. Player development was considered one of the key pillars of the “Cardinal Way.” In recent years, however, St. Louis has done a poor job of handling young talent. Nolan Gorman, Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, and Lars Nootbaar are just a few of the many young players whose development has stalled. Jordan Walker’s development has not looked promising recently, and the jury is still out on Masyn Winn. Other talents like Randy Arozarena, Tyler O’Neill, Adolis Garcia, and Lane Thomas have found success on other teams. Player development was once a major strength of the St. Louis Cardinals, but in recent years it has become a glaring weakness.

Many free agents fail

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Every team regrets signing free agents. The key is not to have too many. Unfortunately, St. Louis has signed many free agents who have ultimately turned out to be flops. Players like Brett Cecil, Andrew Miller, Steven Matz, Dexter Fowler, Mike Leake and Carlos Martinez come to mind. Sonny Gray, highly valued as a free agent by St. Louis last season, has been mediocre this season. The Cardinals’ lack of success in the free agent market is another reason why the “Cardinal Way” has failed.

The Cardinals have lost their lead

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The Cardinal Way was once considered the gold standard in all of baseball. However, the lack of player development, recent postseason success, questionable transfers and free agent signings have shown that the Cardinal Way has broken down. St. Louis has lost the edge it once had over the 29 other teams in the league. The Cardinal Way has been falling apart for years and the team has chosen to ignore it. This led to the nightmare of the 2023 season and the mediocrity this year. It’s no wonder Busch Stadium is no longer full and fan frustration has become toxic.

For more baseball coverage, visit Belly Up Sports. Follow Eric Katz on Twitter/X. Featured images from Getty Images