The St. Louis Cardinals missed the postseason after finishing 2024 with an 83-79 record. This marks the second consecutive October without playoff baseball in the Gateway City.
Now, the organization appears likely to enter somewhat of a rebuild, with winning not being the central focus for 2025. In addition, St. Louis is also making a major change with their coaching staff.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals will be parting ways with hitting coach Turner Ward.
Woo noted that the Cardinals had a team OPS of just .704. That was tied for the sixth-lowest in the National League. They also hit just 165 home runs, which was the fourth-lowest total.
"St. Louis' numbers were especially glaring with runners in scoring position, where they ranked last in the National League in multiple offensive categories," Woo wrote. "The Cardinals' team average (.229), slugging percentage (.342) and OPS (.645) with runners in scoring position were the worst in the league, as were their 27 home runs and 433 RBI."
Obviously, it was the offense that spelled the Cardinals doom in 2024. While the pitching wasn't anything to write home about, the offense was their biggest achilles heel.
They expected a lot more out of both Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt was the NL MVP in 2022, with Arenado finishing third in the race.
It will be interesting to see if St. Louis makes any other changes this offseason with their coaching staff. With Ward gone, there are plenty of directions they can go to find a new hitting coach.
More MLB: Cardinals ace likely to be traded as organization enters rebuild
