The St. Louis Cardinals self-proclaimed "reset" was never a reset

The St. Louis Cardinals are aware. Ownership and the front office know the conditions with the current state of their franchise. In what has become a depreciating asset, it is time to innovate and change with the times to survive. Going into the 2024-2025 MLB offseason, the sole focus is to do just that. In a very desired public addressment at the end of the season, fans finally got to hear what they had been desiring for. Accountability, acceptance, apology, and anguish.

The Cardinals came straight forward with their franchise direction going forward. The first move is to revamp the front office to take the team into the next generation of leadership. Long-time executives retired or moved into new roles, new executives were announced in new roles, and the main focal point was to analyze and improve the internal operations. With a declining trend in player development, scouting, budgeting, and transactions, it was time to remove themselves entirely to really understand where the franchise went wrong over the past decade.

In regards to the product on the field, the main focal point was to let the young roster take over. After several years of seeing once-promising prospects fail time and time again, the organization wants to see if their core is sustainable. With much credit to prior draft history, the front office has a positive outlook on the future health of the roster. However, the team has to move on from the prior core in order to fulfill the idea to play the next core. Mozeliak met with the veteran players to see if they were open to being traded and expiring contracts were not renewed in order to free up roster spots. With clubhouse leader Paul Goldschmidt let go and future hall of famer Nolan Arenado being the main clog in the plans, the proclaimed "Reset" was in place.

The reality

The plan to revamp internal operations took no time at all. Within the early period of the off-season, the front office has filled many holes to help build a much stronger foundation. Bench coaches were hired to help support Oli Marmol, minor league instructors were hired to serve in roles that have been ignored for years, and Mozeliak's predecessor Chaim Bloom is being given a clear path for him to take over the reigns. With his insight and experience in modern technology within the game, the Cardinals have even invested heavily in player development from a technical perspective.

But we are now within a month from pitchers reporting to Jupiter for 2025 Spring Training and the Cardinals have done minimal in roster construction. They have signed a select few players to minor league contracts but that was it. There have been zero Major League contracts signed and it looks to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Mozeliak is still heavily pursuing trade opportunities for Nolan Arenado and it seems very bleak that anything will take place. At first, it seemed this was going to be a fairly quick resolution until Arenado turned down an accepted trade with the Houston Astros. Since then, it has been a very quiet market and Mozeliak is losing leverage as the days pass on.

The trade was advertised to free up playing time for guys looking to receive everyday opportunities. But as the "Reset" fantasy began to fade, the organization began to show its true intentions and was not afraid to hide it. The actual focal point this off-season is to shed payroll. With uncertainty with the illustrious Bally Sports TV rights fiasco, to reduced ticket revenue from the tired fanbase, to money being invested, ownership does not want to take the risk of a negative cash flow. In order to maintain revenue, they are now looking to cut expenses, no matter the cost.

Business is Business

The Cardinals are now making Nolan Arenado trade discussions their "top priority" being as drastic as saying it is number 1, 2, and 3 on their to-do list. In order to fulfill fans' desires for a better on-the-field product, the front office believes they have to move Arenado's contract in order to add on new players. This is the defense for the team not making any Major League-level transactions this off-season. Their intention is to reinvest into payroll in the future as this is just a short-term factor in the "Reset" plan. Because of the idea that the team still has a chance to compete in 2025, they do not want to sacrifice the bigger contracts within the pitching staff in order to cut these costs. They solely believe Arenado is the solution to the payroll issue.

If a team is truly making an attempt to compete for meaningful baseball, wouldn't they make moves in order to improve the roster no matter the circumstances? The Dodgers are setting a new tone in MLB by improving the roster no matter the cost. Many owners are saying this is not a sustainable way to operate, but the Dodgers see the bigger picture. Windows to compete for championships do not last long and it is wise to capitalize on those moments. The Cardinals are nowhere near this window, but that falls back on them for how they have mismanaged the organization for years.

With mixed signals to fans and the sport, no one really knows what the current direction of the Cardinals is. In what was promised as a concentrated "reset" is beginning to look like the grand finale of the gaslight gang. Fans have been losing trust and hope for their team over the years and it continues to spiral. With a very unencouraging 2025 season approaching us, fans are counting down the 162-game calendar to the start of the next generation in Cardinals baseball. The only glimmering hope is that the next front office can return the Cardinals back to their glory days. But until then, hang in there Cardinals fans.