Cardinals ownership can learn 3 lessons from the Phillies' long rebuild to prominence

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently mired in a downward spiral when it comes to attendance. Despite surpassing the two-million fan mark for the 40th consecutive season in their last series, the Cardinals still aren't seeing the numbers they became accustomed to seeing.

Cardinals fans have been driven away by three straight years without a postseason appearance and half a decade since their last playoff victory. The DeWitt family has been adamant that payroll must be cut over the last two years, and player acquisition has stalled for the organization. Throw in a lack of transparency, and you'll get a fan base that has gone from joy to anger to apathy.

Apathy is not a good place to be for a baseball franchise.

For the second season in a row, the Cardinals will not sell three million tickets. Not only have ticket sales taken a hit, but in-game attendance is also dramatically low compared to previous years. The Cardinals went from being in the top-three teams in the National League in attendance through 2023 to now being in the bottom half of the league.

What will it take for the St. Louis Cardinals to earn their fans back? Well, Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III simply have to look to a former National League rival for the blueprint.

The Philadelphia Phillies were once the crown jewel of the National League along with the St. Louis Cardinals. From 2007 through 2013, the Phillies made it to the postseason five times. They went 1-1 in World Series appearances, and they won the National League East in five consecutive years from 2007 through 2011. Their average win total in that span was 95 wins.

Each year from 2007 through 2013, the Phillies easily surpassed three million fans. Their peak was 3,777,322 tickets sold in 2010, the year after consecutive World Series appearances. Citizens Bank Park was rocking in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the Cardinals were able to see it all happen.

The two clubs went head-to-head in the postseason in the 2011 National League Division Series. The Cardinals won the series, and a decade-long dry spell began for the Phillies.

The Phillies finished above .500 only once from 2012 through 2022; they went 82-80 in 2021. The didn't make the postseason for 10 years, and their fans stopped showing up. From 2013-2022, the Phillies' highest ticket sales for a season came in 2019 when they hit 2,727,421 fans. Their low point during that span came in 2015 when the organization sold only 1,831,080 tickets.

A look at the rosters of that era will show that the Phillies didn't have many noteworthy players. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Ryan Howard were aging. The club's best player in 2015 was center fielder Odubel Herrera. Their best pitcher was a 31-year-old Cole Hamels. Things were bleak for the Phillies.

Their figures have only gone up since then, peaking once again in 2024 at 3,363,712 fans. It's taken 10 years, but the Phillies are back to having one of the most raucous environments and supportive fan bases in baseball.

How did the Philadelphia Phillies bring back three million fans, and how can the St. Louis Cardinals mirror this blueprint of success?

Investing in the team

From 2007 through 2013, the Phillies consistently posted team salaries in excess of $125 million. The organization consistently invested in proven talent regardless of the price, and those high salaries paid off handsomely for the Phillies during that era.

From 2015 through 2018, the Phillies broke the $100 million mark only once: they spent $103 million in 2015 on player contracts. There is a clear correlation here between spending and team success.

Once the front office and ownership group started investing in the team again, the Phillies began finding success. From the 2018-2019 offseason on, the Phillies added at least one big-name free agent each winter. After a few years of acquiring veterans, the results followed along with the fans.

In the 2018-2019 offseason, the Phillies signed one of the winter's biggest fish in Bryce Harper. Harper, a target of the St. Louis Cardinals at the time, agreed to a 13-year, $330 million contract, the largest in North American sports at the time. They also brought on outfielder Andrew McCutchen and veteran reliever David Robertson.

The next year, the Phillies signed right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler to help lead their staff with Aaron Nola. Wheeler's contract totaled $118 million over five years. They also signed shortstop Didi Gregorius to a one-year, $14 million deal.

In the 2020-2021 offseason, the Phillies agreed to a deal with one of the game's best backstops in J.T. Realmuto. The contract was worth $115.5 million over five years. They also signed Brad Hand, a southpaw reliever.

The next offseason, the Phillies beefed up their offense with the signings of outfielders Kyle Schwarber (four years, $79 million) and Nick Castellanos (five years, $100 million).

The Phillies rounded out their exorbitant spending in the 2022-2023 offseason when they signed shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal. They also brought on starting pitcher Taijuan Walker via a four-year, $72 million deal to add depth to the rotation.

After four consecutive winters of opening up the checkbook, the Phillies now have one of the largest payrolls in baseball. Sure, they'll be taxed heavily on those dollars, but they've made deep runs in the postseason in two of the last three years. That type of investment has paid off handsomely for the Phillies and their fans.

The Cardinals' payroll peaked in 2024 just shy of $190 million. They slashed that dramatically this year to a figure around $125 million. With Miles Mikolas set to become a free agent and the trades of pricey veterans like Steven Matz and Erick Fedde at the trade deadline, there will be more wiggle room this offseason to spend.

The DeWitt family should mirror this spending approach. They have some young talent on the roster in Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson. JJ Wetherholt and Liam Doyle aren't far behind. Signing veterans to long-term deals this winter would go a long way toward jumpstarting this rebuild. Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, and Dylan Cease are all free agents. Any one of them would be a huge addition to the roster for the 2026 season and beyond.

Letting your head of baseball operations work freely

It's well known throughout the baseball industry that Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies' president of baseball operations since 2021, is one of baseball's most active heads of baseball operations.

Since joining the Phillies, he's done more minor trades including one to acquire outfielder Brandon Marsh in 2022 and another for former Cardinal Edmundo Sosa in 2022. Last December, Dombrowski acquired starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo for some prospects, and he also picked up reliever Carlos Estevez at the 2024 deadline to bolster the club's bullpen.

Dombrowski's biggest deals since joining the Phillies came at this year's trade deadline. He acquired reliever Jhoan Duran, one of the best closers in baseball, for two of the organization's top prospects. He also brought in outfielder Harrison Bader to provide some roster depth.

Chaim Bloom will take over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations at the end of the 2025 season. Historically, Bloom has made trades that were forced by ownership. He's most known for the trade that sent star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong. That trade was a flop, but it was spurred by an ownership group wanting to slash payroll.

Bloom was not the Tampa Bay Rays' general manager, but he still played a part in the Rays' operations as vice president of baseball operations. The Rays mostly traded away players as they entered their final years of team control. They traded starting pitcher Chris Archer in 2018, outfielder Wil Myers in 2014, and starting pitcher David Price in 2014.

The bulk of Bloom's activity via trade has revolved around trading away players rather than acquiring them. This is mostly due to the nature of the organizations he was with. The Rays have always been one of the lowest-spending teams in baseball. When Bloom joined the Red Sox, one of his first tasks was to cut payroll.

Sadly, he'll have to do the same in his first offseason as the Cardinals' POBO. Nolan Arenado will probably have to be traded this winter. Sonny Gray could be moved as well to clear payroll space. With the DeWitt family's demands to continue to reduce salary commitments, don't expect Chaim Bloom to acquire big-name players. Instead, he'll have to be wily with his trades.

One of the club's left-handed hitters will be moved. Bloom could win the trade by finding a viable starting pitcher in return. Winning in trades will help bring fans back to Busch Stadium. The departure of John Mozeliak alone might be enough to bring a few fans back.

In-game experience improvements for fans

As is the case with most other stadiums and organizations, the in-game experience for fans has been enhanced. Stadiums across the country have added specialized areas throughout the stadium, including kids' spaces, various plaza entertainment areas, and specialized suites.

The Phillies upgraded their left field plaza in 2018-2019 with a Wall of Fame, boardwalk-style concessions, and patio seating. They also added a special kid-friendly space that same year with various activities and games for children.

Prior to the 2025 season, the Phillies updated their technology at Citizens Bank Park via wrap-around LED displays throughout the stadium, full-color scoreboards, and sound system upgrades.

The Cardinals have been doing similar upgrades over the past decade as well. They replaced seats in the top level of right field with the Budweiser Terrace in 2018. The previous space was rarely occupied with fans in the seats, and the new Budweiser Terrace has two full-service bars, a live DJ, and pre-game events.

The Cardinals added stadium-wide Wi-Fi recently, along with outfield screens displaying more advanced statistics. Busch Stadium's sound system also got an upgrade this past year. Now, some sections will play music while others will have the radio or television broadcast.

Anuk Karunaratne was hired prior to the 2024 season, and his primary goal has been to enhance the in-game experience at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals launched $5 Friday nights at said Budweiser Terrace. The Cardinals also hosted several post-game concerts this year that featured popular artists such as Cole Swindell and Flo Rida.

Bill DeWitt III understands the need for making a baseball game an experience for fans. No longer is the game enough for many of the sport's young fans.

“This is all part of the process,” DeWitt said. “We want to be in a much more creative and experimental phase of what works and what doesn’t as we look at fan segmentation and attracting younger fans, but also serving our long-term fans too.”

Continuing to enhance the in-game experience for fans will go a long way in bringing back some of the franchise's more transient fans. With Ballpark Village right across the street, fans have plenty of safe entertainment in and around Busch Stadium. These changes must continue if the team wants to see fans return.

Winning and postseason victories

This is the best way to bring fans back to Busch Stadium. When the Cardinals were consistently winning, fans were consistently coming to the ballpark.

The Cardinals drew three million or more fans every year from 2004 until 2024 (2020 and 2021 excluded). In those 18 seasons, the Cardinals made the postseason 11 times. They finished first in the division nine times. They went to the World Series four times and won twice. Not many other teams can match that level of organizational success, and fans rewarded the club's success by attending games often and in high volumes.

The Phillies' first season above .500 after the 2011 season came in 2021 when they finished second in the division with a n 82-80 record. Stadiums were still limiting capacity at this time, so we can't use that season as a barometer in total numbers. The Phillies ended up finishing ninth in the National League in total attendance that year, so they still hadn't recouped much of their fanbase.

In 2022, the Phillies lost in the World Series to the Houston Astros; they made the playoffs via the Wild Card. That year, they drew only 2,276,736 fans, a far cry from their peak in 2010. After seeing three million fans for the final time in 2013, it took Philadelphia a full decade to reach that watermark once more. It took two consecutive winning seasons and a World Series appearance to get back to three million fans in 2023.

The Cardinals are just two seasons into failing to hit three million fans. They reached only 2,878,115 fans last year, and they're on pace to finish right around 2.1 million fans this year. That's still an admirable number of tickets sold, but it pales in comparison to past eras of Cardinals' baseball.

The Cardinals finished with an 83-79 record last year, but they weren't close to making the playoffs. If it took Philadelphia 10 years to get back to full support of their team once they started winning again, how long would it take to get the Cardinals fans back to supporting their own club?

When talking about ways to get fans back to Busch Stadium, the conversation should always start with winning and postseason success. Conscious efforts from ownership will also go a long way in regaining the trust of the fanbase.

If the DeWitt family wants to see three million fans in the seats once more, they should look to the Philadelphia Phillies model over the last five or six years.