Can the 2024 St. Louis Cardinals Renew 'The Cardinal Way'?
The Cardinals look to veteran presence to restore long-time clubhouse and on-field atmosphere
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . The 2023 season was the second sub-.500 season for the St. Louis Cardinals franchise in the 2000s. The other sub-.500 season was in 2007, following the 2006 World Series championship, though the 2007 club was only five wins worse than the 2006 club.
. . . In the 2000s, only two clubs come even close to that level of sustained success. The Los Angeles Dodgers also have just two sub-.500 seasons in the 2000s and hold the best record in baseball over that time. The New York Yankees have a better record in that time than the Cardinals but have seen three sub-.500 seasons by the organization.
Leading Off
Will Returning Cardinals Help to Restore the Cardinal Way?
By Christian Rauh
What is the “Cardinals Way?”
Well, quite frankly, it's winning - something the team in St. Louis has done for the past generation and then some. However, last season was a shock to the system for many Cardinals fans and raised many questions about the future of the organization. St. Louis went 71-91 last year, 21 games out of first place and five games worse than the Pittsburgh Pirates, who finished fourth. It was the worst season since 1990, and the first time since then finishing at the bottom of the division. The egregious season led to much criticism that boiled up to the front office all the way to the last person on the 40-man roster.
Hoping 2023 can be just a hiccup and forgotten, the Cardinals have moved on to past Cardinals to fill the depth on the active roster and set the tone as leaders in the St. Louis clubhouse. This was desperately missing just one season ago after the departure of long-time catcher Yadier Molina.
General Manager John Mozaliak signed both pitcher Lance Lynn and first base/designated hitter Matt Carpenter to one-year deals this past offseason. They both return to the organization where they helped secure the Cardinals’ eleventh and most recent World Series title in 2011. Although these are not the biggest splashes in free agency across the majors or even within the team talent-wise, they might be the most impactful from the very beginning of the season. All thanks to being proven winners, something the Cardinals have not accomplished in 13 seasons.
Leadership was a huge question and concern from the beginning of the 2023 season for the Cardinals. Situations arose throughout the season that led to public comments of center fielder Tyler O’Neil (who was traded to Boston over the offseason) by manager Oli Marmol for his lack of hustle. Another notable situation was moving the $87.5 million shoe-filler catcher Willson Contreas out from behind the plate and into the outfield. Getting the clubhouse on the same page must be the priority heading into 2024.
The Cardinals did not stop with Lynn and Carpenter when it came to adding veteran players to a team that lacked direction a season prior. St. Louis added a new ace to its rotation in Sonny Gray, who would have won the AL Cy Young last season if it wasn’t for Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Brandon Crawford was also added to the infield depth to help mold and support Masyn Winn as he works to become the Cardinals’ everyday shortstop at only 20 years old.
The addition of more veterans in the locker room should let players like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt focus more on their play on the field. Last season saw lows from both players in performance in multiple categories. Arenado hit only 26 home runs in 2023, his worst since 2014, while Goldschmidt struggled with strikeouts and had his worst home run season since 2016 with only 25.
With the youth movement ready to complement the multiple veteran additions in the clubhouse, what is missing from them going worst to first in National League Central? Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman showed they can be All-Star Caliber or better Batting. Winn arguably has the best arm out of any prospect in the game right now, and players like Brendon Donavon have shown versatility and top-tier ability as he was named an All-Star as a Utility player in his rookie season just two years ago.
The answer to the Cardinals’ success is simple, its health. I know that you could say this about any team heading into a new season, but there is no denying that health is what will stop them from any success in 2024. And unfortunately, spring training has already put them behind the curve.
After being named the opening-day starter, Sonny Gray was diagnosed with a hamstring strain. Although they are currently describing it as mild and do not think he will miss much time, it’s worth noting he had the same injury with Minnesota in 2022.
Next, what used to be one of baseball's deepest position groups is looking pretty bare recently. The Cardinals’ outfield is dealing with a majority of injuries heading into the new season. Tommy Edman is set to take the reigns as the everyday centerfielder but he is still recovering from offseason wrist surgery and will start the season on the injured list. Lars Nootbar may also join him as just this past week was reported to have multiple cracked ribs. With the season opener only a few weeks away, it's unlikely he will be able to recover in time fully.
Time will tell, but we will get a good taste of the Cardinals right away as they open the season on the road in Los Angeles. The Dodgers, who had an offseason to remember, will have already played a few games in Korea the week prior. The Cardinals, who started 2023 with a 10-19 record in April, will only have four days off from Opening Day until May 2nd.
We will know very early in the Cardinals’ 2024 campaign if the “Cardinals Way” of winning has returned or if drastic changes are needed on and off the field moving forward.
Christian Rauh is a writer and content creator for DiamondDingers.com.
Extra Innings
Sonny Gray is widely noted as the “big” Cardinal free agent signed this offseason, but Kyle Gibson also came into the organization as a veteran starting pitcher. The two were interviewed about coming to St. Louis and the 2024 season: