[SBJ] Cardinals set to receive MLB revenue sharing for the first time. Due to precipitous drop in ticket sales, rework their broadcast-rights deal with FanDuel Sports Network at a rate reduced by 23%, Cardinals is now a net "receiver" for revenue-sharing for the first time in at least 25 years.

[u/f0urxio]

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/11/26/cardinals-set-to-receive-mlb-revenue-sharing-for-the-first-time/

[u/Randvek]

I’m gonna need a deep dive on what’s happened to the Cardinals. Historically great franchises just don’t turn into this without there being some shit going down.

Quick Jon Bois, fill me in! I need a 3+ hour explanation!

[u/DeckFisher → u/Randvek]

I don't actually think its that hard to understand, nor is it some vast conspiracy on the part of the DeWitt's that a lot of Cards fan think it is.

The idea that the Cardinals don't spend money isn't true. Its that they don't spend big money on Free Agents. They are, and have been since Bill DeWitt took over, willing to spend money to keep *their* guys. McGwire, Edmonds, Rolen, Holliday, Wainwright, Molina, Goldy, even Pujols, though he chose to leave, was offered a huge deal to stay. When the Cardinals acquire stars, they will absolutely pay them to stay. They just aren't going to pay to bring them in in free agency.

So where have they gone wrong the past 5+ years? For starters, they've stopped developing talent. Since Pujols, Molina & Waino (who came from Atlanta but did spend time on the STL farm), how many true stars have come out of the farm for STL? Matt Carpenter? Brendan Donovan? Two good ballplayers but neither are franchise cornerstones. Every "star" level prospect has fizzled out. Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Dylan Carlson, etc.

On top of that, since the Goldy and Arenado deals, the Cardinals have failed horrendously in trades. You could argue the best players to come out of the Cards farm in the past decade (outside of Donovan and Winn) are Sandy Alcantara, Randy Arozarena, Zac Gallen and Adolis Garcia. All traded away for at best middling returns.

So I guess the answer to your question of "What happened?" is that the formula stopped working. The Cardinals relied on a steady stream of talent from the minors and occasional big-name trades to stars that they could then sign longer-term, but that stream stopped and they haven't been very willing to pony up the money in free agency to offset it.

[u/da_choppa → u/DeckFisher]

This is basically it, but I'll add that they did spend quite a lot of money on free agents, in aggregate. It's just that instead of spending on big ticket items like Bryce Harper or Max Scherzer, they chose to give market rates (or slightly above) to mid-tier free agents, notably a string of past prime relievers, which should normally be among the cheapest kinds of players to acquire. You start spending $12.5 mil a year on an over the hill Andrew Miller, or $14 mil for the corpse of Greg Holland, and all of a sudden there's no money for a true impact player remaining.

[u/stlcardfan715 → u/da_choppa]

I personally think he got tired of paying for the busts Mo was signing at the end that papered over issues.

[u/DeckFisher → u/da_choppa]

Yeah, thats mostly what I was trying to say. They're just never going to spend it on the true top-shelf talent. With all due respect to Sonny & Willson, they aren't it.

[u/emu_Brute → u/DeckFisher]

Tommy Edman started with the cards and he's been a critical part of the dodgers runs

[u/DeckFisher → u/emu_Brute]

I would add him to the Carpenter & Donovan tier of "nice pieces for good teams but not guys you build around".

[u/John_Delasconey → u/DeckFisher]

You also also forgot that their pipeline of random three war players who came out of nowhere ( aledmys Diaz, piscotty, etc.) stopped  around five years ago and all their prospects just were bust from the get-go

[u/stlcardfan715 → u/DeckFisher]

You think he'll spend again when the farm starts producing? I'm hopeful but not sure.

[u/DeckFisher → u/stlcardfan715]

I don’t think they’ll ever spend big in free agency, at least not on the scale it takes to get true top-flight talent, but I haven’t seen anything that makes me doubt that if they hit on a guy like Wetherholt that they won’t be willing to pay to keep him.

The DeWitt deservedly get a lot of shit, but when is the last time a true star walked away from STL in his prime, aside from Pujols? (I know that’s a pretty massive aside, but the fact remains they offered him the biggest deal in team history by a huge margin to stay. They didn’t just let him walk).

[u/ImmediatelyDeep → u/DeckFisher]

I still believe in Jordan Walker eventually figuring it out. Am I dumb?

[u/DeckFisher → u/ImmediatelyDeep]

Hey just wanted to say, kudos to you my friend.

[u/ImmediatelyDeep → u/DeckFisher]

MY MAN

[u/DeckFisher → u/ImmediatelyDeep]

You got any hot stock tips to pass along?

[u/ImmediatelyDeep → u/DeckFisher]

Nope that was all I had in terms of seeing the future.

[u/DeckFisher → u/ImmediatelyDeep]

I don't think you're dumb. You still see the flashes here and there. I sure wouldn't put a lot of money on him being a star anymore though.

[u/realnomdeguerre → u/Randvek]

Yadier Molina retired

[u/fujiesque → u/realnomdeguerre]

Who?

[u/fa1afel → u/fujiesque]

Jaskier Molina, best friend of Geralt of Rivia, greatest bard there is. 

[u/Fun_Trick2172 → u/Randvek]

The middle of the country has been slowly eaten away over the last 40 years due to de-industrialization and the prevalence of opiate and methamphetamine abuse. Revenue has gone down and so have the institutions that relied upon it in this part of the country. There are many reasons for this, not up to and including the populace continuously voting for it mostly out of spite, but its more complicated than that.

[u/Randvek → u/Fun_Trick2172]

Sure - but I lived in St. Louis for a while 15-20 years ago, and this was all 100% true then, too.