2 ramifications of St. Louis Cardinals' Gary LaRocque retiring

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday that their Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Development, Gary LaRocque, will retire following the 2024 season. While LaRocque will still work with the organization in an advisory role next year, he will no longer operate as the Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Development for the Cardinals in 2025 and beyond.

LaRocque joined the organization in 2008 as a Senior Special Assistant to the General Manager, and he took on his current role in 2014. During LaRocque's tenure, the Cardinals have promoted 113 minor league players to the highest level of baseball, and nine of the organization's minor league affiliates have won their respective League Championships. He was also awarded the "George Kissell Award" in 2018 for his efforts in player development.

For a long time, Gary LaRocque was at the top of his class amongst his peers. Few organizations could boast a farm system as fruitful as the Cardinals could from 2013-2018. Players like Carlos Martinez, Matt Carpenter, Michael Wacha, Kolten Wong, Stephen Piscotty, Paul DeJong, and Harrison Bader were all products of LaRocque's system. Since then, however, the farm system has fallen from grace, and the Cardinals haven't been able to have their own prospects graduate and produce for the team.

Gary LaRocque's announced retirement comes at a pivotal time for the franchise. Front office changes were expected this offseason, and this feels like the first of many dominos to fall this offseason. John Mozeliak's intentions to phase out in the final year of his contract have been clear. Chaim Bloom's hiring last offseason was a clear indication that the organization intends to bring on outside voices for a change. Other executives like Randy Flores and Michael Girsch have been chomping at the bit for a promotion.

LaRocque's retirement won't be a one-off. Other moves, either forced or mutually agreed upon, will happen during the offseason. After back-to-back losing seasons for a franchise as storied as the Cardinals, it's logical that there will be changes in the front office.

Hopefully, these changes will be beneficial to the organization. Far too often have executive resets caused turmoil for a team. The hope is that the Cardinals, given their propensity to keep things close to the vest and choose respectable leaders, will make changes this offseason that will propel them toward success over the next decade.

LaRocque's retirement could spell two major changes this offseason in the front office for the Cardinals