Will Adam Wainwright ever call local Cardinals' games? Here's his answer.

St. Louis Cardinals fans would love to hear Adam Wainwright calling locally televised games for the club in his post-playing career, and it sounds like the feeling is mutual with the Cardinals' legend. And yet, it appears that idea may be on hold for a while, with Wainwright's reasoning showing the class he carries himself with.

Over on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (subscription required), Derrick Goold had a quote from Wainwright, saying that he's very sensitive to the broadcasters who have paid their dues with Bally Sports Midwest, and so "We'll see about that in the future".

Wainwright did say that there had been mutual interest in a role in the past, but he decided not to pursue that. It was just announced on Tuesday that Wainwright would be joining MLB Network as an analyst, his second broadcasting gig of the offseason after being hired on by FOX Sports as an analyst as well.

Chip Caray did an excellent job stepping into the booth as the primary play-by-play voice for Bally Sports Midwest in 2023, and he's often joined by Brad Thompson, Jim Edmonds, or Al Hrabosky. While it would be so exciting to have Wainwright join that rotation of commentators next to Caray, it really is honorable of him to not "skip the line" like he could have.

Instead, Wainwright will be jumping into national broadcasting, and hopefully, after some time there, we are able to see him join the Cardinals' broadcast team in an official capacity. There's probably some wisdom with that decision as well from a career standpoint, as going national while he can build up his resume, and with the uncertainty around how local broadcasts will look in the near and long-term future, getting his foot in the door nationally will only help his growing career as a broadcaster.

I wouldn't rule out some fun guest appearances in 2024 if both sides can work something out, but at least for now, Wainwright will not be calling local Cardinals games.