4 offseason changes that need to happen if the Cardinals miss the playoffs again

The St. Louis Cardinals have continued to dig themselves a hole that feels more insurmountable after each passing series. After the team's embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, the Cardinals sit at 60-59 on the season. They are now 7.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division, and the San Francisco Giants have passed them in the Wild Card race.

There is still an inkling of hope for a playoff berth -- FanGraphs gives them an 11.6% chance -- but those hopes are fading more and more. If the playoffs were to start today, this would be the second consecutive season where the Cardinals missed the postseason. That would be just the third time this century the franchise has gone back-to-back years without a playoff appearance.

There are many reasons why the Cardinals have failed to reach the postseason these past two years. Aged and average pitching staffs, defensive failures, and an unreliable offense are the most glaring from the player's perspective.

From a coaching and management perspective, bullpen moves and roster transactions haven't been ideal, and money given to free agents hasn't been used in the most efficient way. When a front office has to operate on a strict budget, the money spent must be prudent. That hasn't been the case recently for the Cardinals.

Typically, when an organization fails repeatedly, drastic changes are made. A front office can decide to do a full rebuild, or they can hit reset and work with the bulk of the roster that has been effective. It is likely the Cardinals choose the latter path. The DeWitt family won't take to a full rebuild kindly, as that means fan attendance will plummet more than it already has this year.

Due to this unprecedented reality that the team now operates in, it is likely that some changes are made this offseason as a result of the team's lackluster output these past two seasons. Some of these could be minute changes while others could be sweeping redirections of the entire organization and its philosophy.

These 4 changes must happen this offseason if the Cardinals miss the postseason once again in 2024.

The franchise will lean heavily into its youth

This change is probably my favorite. Fans adore seeing young players play; these athletes are typically more energetic, athletic, and exciting. Also, they're cheap, and that leans into the owners' desire to field as competitive a team as possible while working within certain self-imposed fiscal restrictions.

Young teams allow fans to follow players for a longer period of time, thus increasing fan interest in a team. For years, Cardinal fans were able to follow players like Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina. I'm not saying every young player will be as successful or long-lasting as these two, but at least fans will be able to consistently find a player they're familiar with.

The Cardinals have plenty of youth already on the team, and their minor league system is full of talented players. Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Ivan Herrera, Tink Hence, Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe, Michael McGreevy, Thomas Saggese, and JJ Wetherholt could all be ready to play in the majors as soon as next year. Several of those players will be ready by the end of the year, and some have already made their major league debut.

For the past few seasons, the Cardinals have rolled out a team full of veterans and tried to convince the fans that this is the best route. Simultaneously, teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks have been riding some of the youngest teams in baseball to wonderful success while the Cardinals have toiled in the doldrums of the league.

If this season goes sideways once again, the Cardinals should play as many young players as possible next year to inject some vitality into the team.

Massive trades and salary dumps will be made

This change almost goes hand-in-hand with the first change. In order to play those young players, roster spots must be cleared up. That would come in the form of trimming the excess "fat" on the roster. Players like Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and possibly Nolan Arenado have been restricting the team financially these past two seasons without producing reciprocally on the field.

Next year, Mikolas is owed $18.3 million, Matz is on the books for $11 million, and Arenado will cost the team $21 million. That's a total of just over $50 million owed to only three players next year. It's very unlikely that any of the three players will return to their former selves next year, so swallowing some money -- and pride -- may suit the organization best.

Trading these players and their attached salaries won't be easy; the Cardinals will have to also send over some cash in these trades to make up for the imbalance that their onerous contracts create. This isn't a strategy that the organization has employed often recently, but if the roster needs a reset, this is the best way to go about it.

By trading these pricey veterans, the Cardinals will be able to direct the money in a more fruitful way. Proven players who are much younger are available this offseason, especially from a pitching perspective. Nathan Eovaldi could opt out of his contract after vesting a player option, and players like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, and Shane Bieber will also be available.

Clearing out these players from the roster opens up playing time for young guys like Tink Hence, Cooper Hjerpe, Quinn Mathews, Michael McGreevy, and even Thomas Saggese next year.

The Cardinals have been insistent on rolling out a veteran team these last two years. That plan hasn't worked, and the expensive players who haven't been producing this past during this time period should be traded.

John Mozeliak's exit plan becomes expedited

John Mozeliak has an exit strategy as he closes out his penultimate season as the team's president of baseball operations. There have been no concrete details about his successor thus far, but the options are aplenty. While an external candidate may be preferred by the followers of the team, it isn't the organization's modus operandi to bring in outside voices.

If the Cardinals have another season without a postseason appearance, the sixth under John Mozeliak's leadership and the fifth in the last nine years, he would have to start his exit process earlier than originally planned.

It's been assumed and reported that Mozeliak will step down slightly next year as his successor takes on additional roles. The plan would then be that whoever is promoted next year would then become the team's president of baseball operations following the conclusion of Mozeliak's contract in 2026. That transition of power could be expedited if the Cardinals miss the postseason once more this year.

There are several candidates -- both internally and externally -- who could supplant John Mozeliak. Chaim Bloom seems to be the most obvious, but Randy Flores, Micahel Girsch, and Moises Rodriguez won't go down without a fair fight.

For years, it's felt as though the organization has been stuck in its rigid ways of operating. The hope is that the next president of baseball operations will be more fluid and forward-thinking with his or her decisions. If the Cardinals fail to make the playoffs once again this year, that successor may be required to learn the job quicker than originally anticipated.