Ryan Helsley: "Maybe some guys having bad attitudes" impacted Cardinals' season

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley has become a regular on the Foul Territory podcast hosted by Scott Braun and A.J Pierzynski. During their Monday episode, Helsley was interviewed and asked about the recent additions to the pitching staff along with leadership changes with Yadi and Waino both retired. 

But what caught the attention of Cardinals fans was when he was asked what happened that led to the disastrous 2023 season. Helsley was open with his answer and did not hold back. He stated that the clubhouse had a weird vibe the whole season that impacted players’ performance and caused many guys to have their worst MLB season. The team could not get out of the rut and were treading water the whole season.

The biggest quote from the interview is when Helsley said they had several bad attitudes in the clubhouse. This is very interesting, especially with Oliver Marmol previously stating he wants to weed out the selfish players going into 2024. 

There is much speculation on who these players might be. Helsley was asked who they were in a joking manner but no one really knows who the clubhouse cancers are. I previously wrote about who these players might be, which does include Helsley himself. Whether that is the case or not, the team is ready to move on from what happened in 2023 and look forward to competing in 2024. 

The Cardinals' offseason thus far has backed up those comments from Helsley. John Mozeliak has been open about wanting guys like Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn for their ability to change the culture in the clubhouse, and has now publicly stated they are shopping Tyler O'Neill as well.

Whenever a club underperforms the way the Cardinals did in 2023, you expect changes to be made. The front office and coaching staff have really seemed to double down on the need for different players, so the pressure will be on both of them in 2024 to prove that they had the wrong mix of personalities and talent, rather than a lack of leadership organizationally.

Click here to watch the full Foul Territory interview with Ryan Helsley.