Another day, another story where I talk about the Cardinals needing to sell at the trade deadline. The second half of the season begins tonight, and the Cardinals head into a series with the Diamondbacks with a record of 51-46. They just 1 1⁄2 games back in the Wild Card race. In any year other than 2025, I would be all for buying rather than trading away talent. But it’s 2025, not 2022.
Today on 101 ESPN’s “The Morning After,” Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Joe Buck was the guest, and the guys asked him about what he thought the Cardinals needed to do at the deadline. Buck said that they needed to figure out what their goal is first and foremost and commit to it.
Buck also made a very good point, which is what I’m going to highlight in this story. John Mozeliak needs to be honest with himself about the state of the Cardinals. The legendary broadcaster criticized the roster for not being nearly good enough to compete for a World Series title. I think most fans would agree upon that point.
The Cardinals advertised a “reset” last offseason, but didn’t do much in the way of building for the future, which is what we all thought was going to happen. Instead of committing to the reset, they stayed stuck in the middle and didn’t pick a lane.
Buck said that it was time for the Cardinals to fully commit to this plan, and I agree with him. But what he said about Mozeliak, without directly mentioning his name, is on point. Mo has stated that how the Cardinals play leading up to the deadline will determine his approach, but even if they’re playing well, he needs to take an honest look at the roster and decide whether or not it’s worth really investing in this year’s club.
Like Buck said, there is no way this team is winning the World Series. Teams like the Dodgers, Tigers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, and even the Red Sox, are miles better than the Cardinals on paper. To me, it’s clear that this team isn’t worth investing in. At best, they’re a Wild Card Series exit.
So, instead of trying to thread the needle and make incremental upgrades that won’t really help, Mo and the front office need to understand what they’re dealing with. The goal should be setting up Chaim Bloom for future success and giving him a clean slate and actually committing to what they originally stated they would do last offseason.
The third Wild Card spot has given a lot of teams, including the Cardinals false hope about their chances of making a run. I might discuss that more in another post, but I also want to push back on a tired narrative, that trading guys like Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz would send a bad message to the fanbase and holding onto them will allow them to keep fans in the stands.
Here’s the hard truth. The fanbase has already been alienated. Even with the Cardinals being better than expected, fans still aren’t showing up to ballgames at Busch Stadium. That hasn’t changed the fact that fans are pissed at the organization. And either buying incrementally or choosing to hold onto their expiring assets will just show the fans that they’re stuck in the middle and content with being mediocre.
The front office thinks they’re fooling the fans and convincing them that they’re all in on winning a championship, and they probably think that by adding to the club, it’ll send a good message to the fanbase that they care about winning.
But in reality, that’s just going to piss fans off even more. The majority of the fanbase knows that the front office and ownership aren’t being truthful with those statements. In fact, while I can only speak for myself, my guess is that if they’re just honest about the state of the team and choose to sell, fans will take that much better than if they buy and say they’re trying to win.
Nobody is falling for the usual spin they try to put on things. Buck hit the nail on the head when he said that the Cardinals need to be honest with themselves about this situation. The truth is that future seasons, and the start of Bloom’s tenure as head of baseball operations are at stake. The future needs to be prioritized.
I know people are probably tired of hearing me beat the drum for selling, but it seems like the organization just can’t see what most of the fanbase sees. All fans see is a mediocre team masquerading as a fringe Wild Card contender that won’t even be able to get out of the first round, and that’s if they’re lucky enough to get into the postseason.
Fans see an organization that’s spiraling, unable to pick a lane and seemingly content to stay in the dreaded middle while continually setting the team back several years and prolonging the inevitable.
And so, fans can only hope that Mo puts the interests of the organization above his own and makes the right choice for the future. This is going to be Bloom’s team next year, and he’s going to hire new people to be part of his front office. His vision is what must be protected, and the man he’s replacing at the end of the year needs to understand that and prioritize it.
I understand Mo wanting to go out on a good note. I really do. But nothing he says or does is going to make the Cardinals World Series contenders. Instead, he needs to help lay the groundwork for what Bloom hopes to accomplish.