Cardinals Front Office Reportedly Facing 'Financial Restraints' From Unwise Ownership

St. Louis might be in deep trouble over the next few seasons

Aug 24, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill Dewitt Jr. looks on during a ceremony prior to the start of a game against the Colorado Rockies during an MLB Players' Weekend game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in trouble after missing the playoffs for a second straight season and setting multiple records for lack of attendance at Busch Stadium III in 2024.

The issues that plagued the Cardinals this season go deeper than five-time Silver Sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado having the worst years of their career at the plate.

Although critical players' lack of production was a significant problem this season, the bigger issue lies within the relationship between the front office and ownership.

"But according to people familiar with the organization’s business decisions, (John) Mozeliak has been operating with a set amount of money to split between the Cardinals’ entire baseball operations department, and the front office has repeatedly chosen to invest in the big-league team," The Athletic's Katie Woo reported Friday morning. "Those decisions resulted in repeated cuts to player development, both stateside and in Latin America."

Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations, has supposedly been encouraged by ownership to spend more on the big-league roster over the last few years, resulting in neglected player development. Consequently, St. Louis has a weak farm system that isn't producing big-league-ready impactful players, forcing the organization to spend more on free agency.

"All five pitchers in the Opening Day rotation this season were bought in free agency, all at market price," Woo continued. "That’s not sustainable for the Cardinals, especially when considering the rising cost of pitching. Mozeliak’s job over the last decade has not been easy. He’s had to balance developing players at a high level while simultaneously investing in the big-league club at a high level — all under financial parameters set by an ownership group that views its team as a small-market club."

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. has dwindled the 11-time World Series champion franchise's chances of winning over the last decade to embarrassingly low levels and it's time for a change.

It's tough to gauge how long it will take for the Cardinals to dig themselves out of the hole they're in but hopefully, this offseason will be a step in the right direction.

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