Cardinals Legend Shares Brutally Honest Opinion Regarding Long-Term Rebuild

St. Louis fans' frustration is at an all-time high

Sep 29, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Adam Wainwright (50) receives a standing ovation from the fans before he bats against the Cincinnati Reds during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most dedicated fan bases in baseball but after winning only one playoff series in the last 10 years, tensions are high.

It's yet to be seen how the front office will approach the market this winter regarding the Cardinals' 2025 plans. Depending on how this offseason goes, St. Louis fans could be looking at a multi-year rebuild.

However, a Cardinals legend isn't so sure that a long-term rebuilding phase will take place after recently sharing his opinions on the matter.

"Well, I think that's yet to be seen," retired Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright stated on Foul Territory on Thursday when asked if he started to cry when he heard St. Louis was starting to rebuild. "I mean, are they really going to rebuild -- because the Cardinals have never been a full rebuild team? They've never done that. They never, you know, started from scratch and that would be a bad thing for St. Louis because we don't really have patience for a five-year rebuild. In St. Louis, that's not going to be met with a whole lot of happy thoughts."

"That would be a bad thing for St. Louis."@UncleCharlie50 says Cardinals fans don't have the patience for a five-year rebuild. pic.twitter.com/kOBYjHlKlN

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 10, 2024

Wainwright, who spent all of his 18-year career as a starting pitcher for St. Louis, is a beloved member of the Cardinals fan base and hopefully, his prediction for the club's future comes true.

"I do think the Cardinals need to get back to the system, where they draft, really well," Wainwright continued. "Developing players has always been a strength of the St. Louis Cardinals and I think they'll get back to that. I don't think they'll have a full rebuild. They'll go out and spend some money, too."

Fortunately, future Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is an expert at rejuvenating broken farm systems -- as seen by his work with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2005-2019, who now have the top-ranked player development system in the league.

It's still too early to tell whether this rebuilding phase will be partial or complete. If a full teardown is imminent, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. can expect to break even more low-attendance records in 2025.

More MLB: Cardinals Fan Favorite Reportedly Being Targeted For White Sox Managerial Position