The St. Louis Cardinals crying poor is disingenuous toward it's fanbase

The collapse of the Regional Sports Network (RSN) model for many Major League clubs over the last few years is a real issue, and yet, some clubs have continued to press the gas amid the uncertainty.

But not the St. Louis Cardinals.

While clubs like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres have continued to field top-end payrolls and hand out massive free agent contracts while their TV revenue took a major hit, the Cardinals instead are looking to slash payroll to levels we have not seen in a long-time in St. Louis. The Cardinals projected payroll for Opening Day right now is $147 million, a $36 million decrease from 2024. And that's before shedding Nolan Arenado's contract and potentially other money from their books.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are set to have a payroll over $200 million again in 2025 and just resigned Nathan Eovaldi to a three-year, $75 million deal as well as Joc Pederson to a two-year, $37 million pact.. And that's with already having big contracts on their books like Corey Seager, Jacob DeGrom, and Marcus Semien.

The Diamondbacks disappointed last year after making the World Series in 2023, and how have they responded? Oh, just by signing Corbin Burnes to a $210 million deal and having their payroll bump up against $200 million as well.

And the Padres? Well, even though they've made some cost-saving moves during the last year, they've also been hyper-aggressive in acquiring names like Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, and others as they continue to try and compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

The Cardinals are going to be suffering a loss from their original TV deal, but their new agreement with the newly branded FanDuel Sports Network is going to help them recoup most of those losses. Yes, they are also weathering a decline in ticket sales and ballpark revenue from 2023 and preparing for further decline in 2025, but those are sad excuses from the franchise when you look at the aggressive plays from other clubs.

I'm not even saying the Cardinals are wrong to "reset" in 2025. A few aggressive moves could help them be a playoff contender next year, but I'm more concerned with them getting back to being a true contender year in and year out. My problem with what they are doing right now is making slashing payroll the number one goal of this offseason, rather than seeking to maximize their reset in every way possible.

Why not pursue agreements with interesting free agents that you could flip at the deadline? Why not eat as much as Arenado's contract as possible and get a better return? Why not use some of that money to give extensions to players like Masyn Winn or Brendan Donovan? Why does the message need to be saving money?

The Cardinals are worried their fans won't turn the game on at home or come to the ballpark like they used to in 2025, so they are preparing for that reality by cutting costs. Well, when other teams facing similar uncertainty are responding by spending money on things that will get fans to come to games or turn on their TV, it shines an even brighter light on the disconnect that ownership seems to have with this city right now.

I really do believe the front office wants to make the necessary changes under Chaim Bloom's leadership to compete at a high level again. I do believe that the DeWitt family wants to get this right. But this specific strategy and messaging shows that they still have lessons to learn here, and I hope the Corbin Burnes signing showed them that.