Nolan Arenado has crippled the Cardinals in more ways than one

As Nolan Arenado's production with the St. Louis Cardinals has plummeted down a ravine in 2024, his performance has placed him under a microscope in the Gateway City. And fans peering through that lens aren't liking what they're seeing when it comes to his perceived level of effort.

Fellow Redbird Rants writer Thomas Gauvain posted several instances of Arenado not appearing to provide his usual all-out style of play in recent games, and Arenado added to that on Aug. 5 with a widely criticized instance where he gave up defensively on a short dribbler to third base when the Cardinals were down 6-0 in the ninth inning.

Arenado is clearly frustrated with his lackluster play this year, but a potentially overlooked hindrance to the team began in the offseason, where the front office listened to Arenado about acquiring more veteran presence and leadership for the team. Arenado commented before the season that the younger players "overran the clubhouse," and he pushed for more vocal leaders on the team. The Cardinals complied and brought in Matt Carpenter, Brandon Crawford and Lance Lynn.

Several Cardinals have said that the addition of the clubhouse leaders has significantly benefited the team. The drawback is that, as the season transforms from a marathon into a sprint, these leaders are blocking the paths of younger, more talented players waiting in the wings.

Thomas Saggese, an infielder with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, won the organization's Minor League Player of the Month award in July, hitting .349 on the month. With second baseman Nolan Gorman struggling mightily this season, it would behoove the Cardinals to promote Saggese to create the best team on the diamond. But the need for this veteran leadership that Arenado requested has clogged the roster.

How much these veterans' leadership is needed at this point in the season is up for debate. For the first few months, it made sense to have these players set the tone in the clubhouse, but as the season goes on and the Cardinals are in a dogfight to reach the postseason, the team needs to decide if these leaders are still required or if more skill on the roster will outweigh the need for impactful clubhouse voices.

John Mozeliak and company did their due diligence when it came to providing what Arenado believed would be the best for the Cardinals. But when the team's highest-paid player can't hold up his end of the deal and appears to merely be going through the motions while on the field, and when that player has hamstrung the team by essentially reducing the size of the roster, it's fair to say that the future Hall of Famer may have been a major contributor to the potential demise of the 2024 Cardinals.