The St. Louis Cardinals plan to bounce back into contention after a 91-loss season in 2023 ultimately failed.
While their 2024 record is much improved, the team has already been eliminated from postseason contention and they'll sit out October for the second straight year.
Katie Woo of The Athletic noted that the biggest problem right now for St. Louis is their player development system. Woo even interviewed several Cardinals staffers, who shed light on what has gone wrong.
"It's a lack of resources," a staffer told Woo. "It's also the game itself, the way it's changed. It's pushing these kids through the system and then they're getting put into positions they shouldn't be in. It's detrimental to them because they get up here, and they fail."
The Cardinals have had several players who ended up falling short during their time in St. Louis, only to trade them elsewhere and watch them succeed with new teams.
Recent examples include Tyler O'Neill, Randy Arozarena, Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, and Adolis Garcia.
This lack of resources has hurt several players currently with the team as well, with Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker being a few examples.
The Cardinals were once an organization that focused on drafting and developing, but the model has clearly grown stale.
Now, they've stuck in the middle of the pack and may end taking a step back from contention in 2025.
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals approach fixing their issues.
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