John Mozeliak says the Cardinals are back to straddling the fence

“The plan is to play with our young players and get them to develop a base where we can add to that and have high confidence that we can be competitive,” said St. Louis Cardinals’ chairperson Bill DeWitt Jr.

"Now what we’re saying is we’re going to let (the players) go play and find out if they can make those adjustments." John Mozeliak said this last November.

The plan this season has always been to let the younger players play. We knew that a World Series, while always possible, was not probable. We were expecting to see less experience, but more energy and excitement. The coaches should use games to see what the young players would do in high-pressure situations as a learning experience.

This week, John Mozeliak said, “Right now, we’re trying to straddle that fence.” 

The Cardinals, for the last few years, have been building a team good enough to perhaps reach the playoffs, while avoiding a full commitment to big-ticket free agents that would make them a legitimate World Series contender. That fence straddle has resulted in the Cardinals not winning a playoff series since 2019. 

Were the Cardinals serious about getting younger? The numbers say no. 

These are the ages of the players that had the most games at each position. 

2024 Cardinals' Starting Lineup

2025 Cardinals' Starting Lineup

Last year’s average age was 26.8. This year, the average age is 27.1. So, despite the youth movement, the lineup has gotten older.  

This year they have sent back down already, Thomas Saggese (23), who hit .341 and played three positions. They also sent down Luken Baker (28), despite his having nothing to prove in the minors. He has already won an MVP award and last year hit the most home runs in the minor leagues. 

The prime age for an MLB player starts at about 27 years old for hitters. The top four players and their ages getting the most at-bats this year are Nootbaar (27), Donovan (28), Contreras (33), and Arenado (34). While the top four are averaging 145 at-bats this year, you see Walker (23) getting  114 and Gorman (25) with only 70 at-bats. 

It was exciting to think that the Cardinals realized that not moving in either direction was not working. It sounded like they had an actual plan. With the Cardinals winning a few games, they are back to not having a commitment, one way or the other. By trying to do both, you accomplish neither. 

There is an old saying that if you straddle the fence, all you get is splinters.