The Cardinals have given clear signals of a coming payroll reduction, but the extent of the paring remains to be seen. Team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. discussed the matter further with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
DeWitt characterized the Cards’ player salary situation as “fluid,” adding that there’s still quite a lot of “uncertainty” pervading the sport. A major component of that, of course, is a still-muddled public health outlook for 2021. Even if more was known about the course of COVID-19, there’d still be a broader grey area in the player market on the heels of an unprecedented, shortened season.
It seems certain that the Cardinals and their rivals will have a much better idea what to expect of the 2021 season in a few months time. As DeWitt notes: “The good news is that we have a number of months to go here.” Perhaps a slow-moving market won’t portend financial devastation for the player’s side, so much as reflect a mutual need to wait and see.
As Goold explains, the St. Louis organization is especially reliant upon live attendance to support its usually robust revenue. With a wider band of potential revenue projections, it seems the Cards’ ultimate budget for player salaries could yet move up or down by a significant amount depending upon which direction the winds blow.
DeWitt did make clear he intends to field a “competitive” roster, even if the team did kick off its offseason by declining a club option over solid second baseman Kolten Wong. That call, DeWitt says, was designed primarily to create “flexibility” entering a murky winter.
Rangers29
LOLCards
DarkSide830
they still manage to produce results
johnnydubz
In a a fake sport. The players confirmed it when a skel like Cano isn’t banned…. Bregman and Altuve got nothing from the players this year. Baseball did nothing about Arod,Jeter,Ortiz among others…..
mlb1225
iN a FaKe SpOrT
Every sport is fake if you think behind the scenes corruption makes it so.
gbs42
You mean like baseball was a fixed sport in 1919 with the Black Sox, and in 1951 when the Giants had a buzzer under the batter’s box, and in the ’60s and ’70s when many players were popping greenies constantly, and in the ’80s when lots of players were coked up? Every era has things not to be proud of.
swinging wood
Or that it took until 1959 before the racial barrier was broken across the sport (Red Sox being the last team).
mlb1225
So are the Olympics fraudulent after the Russian doping scandal? Is Fifa football a fake sport because of the 2015 scandal?
gbs42
2011 World Series.
Too soon? 😉
Tim_Buck-Two
Right on time really
Jeff Pujols signed Albert Luhnow
Then traded him to Arizona Bay
tsouth22
As a lifelong cards fan, I’m not optimistic about the direction they seem to be heading
dmarcus15
Lots of teams are doing it. It’s the way the market is going.
17dizzy
I agree with tsouth. I’ve been a Cardinals organization fan since the 50’s. When Bill DeWitt Jr. says it and his puppet Mozeliak consistently repeats it, it must be so. “We want to field a competitive roster!”
The only problem is— what is their definition of a competitive roster??
Close to a .500 club i’d say. That is obvious after watching the decline of pure baseball impact player discarded, traded or released since 2012.
Bill DeWitt just wants to insure the Cardinals can win one game over .500 so they can continue saying “Well—- the Cardinals have had 12 winning seasons in a row.”
Not a World Series contender anymore. Thes teams lately are designed to reach above .500 wins per season and hope there is an outside chance they could clinch the absolute last wild card in the National league.
Whifff
I think part of this is their division. It’s an awful division that was exposed big time in the playoffs. There is no need to jack up the payroll to compete, especially when the big-market team in Chicago is in shambles and incapable of winning a game in October.
jkinser20
I really hope the cardinals decision to decline Wong’s decision was because they intend to re-allocate those funds, plus whatever else the deem “available” to pursuing legitimate upgrades. My number one fear is that they are trimming payroll with no intention of getting better.
a username
I mean DeWitt is a chapstake
jimij
Cheapskate is the word I believe!
StlSwifty
Am I the only person who thinks we should trade flaherty? He seems unlikely to remain in STL for the long haul and I don’t see us being very competitive during the rest of his tenure here. And his trade value might never be higher than it is now.
Tapeman69
cheesesteak?
17dizzy
You’re not by yourself in the thought of trading Flaherty for an impact bat!! I think Flaherty might have split the Cardinals fans desire to keep him when he became vocally bias politically. Rather than being supportive as the rest of the Cardinals indicated. Just my opinion—- but discussions of political issues has no place in baseball. Lordy— I’ve see people having a fantastic time together until any type of politics is brought up. Then all the fun goes out the door.
That told me Flaherty had his mind on other things than baseball. His mild decline indicated a lack of concentration.
The Cardinals already have a very talented pitcher who is a head case and may never reach his maximum potential. Why would they want another one.
Your correct—- if it could help bring a current young impact bat into the Cardinals everyday line up. Now might just be the time to trade Flaherty. It might even be better for the clubhouse too. Who knows??
gfilla
I agree with you. Trade Flaherty now at peak value.
Tim_Buck-Two
Right, dude goes up wearing LA lakers jerseys to the mic for his post game interviews. He’s a great player, but to stay in St Louis is not in his cards. Dodgers will pluck him in free agency his first time there, I don’t see Dewitt putting a blank check of his money in front of anyone.
Nuggethoarder
“My number one fear is that they are trimming payroll with no intention of getting better.”
They didn’t do it because they intend to re-allocate the funds. They did it because they aren’t sure they will have the operating revenue to justify paying Wong (or another FA) this year. They are waiting to see what happens with the pandemic and it’s impact on the upcoming baseball season. If they expected full attendance in 2021, they likely pick that option up because Wong is a solidly above-average player on an affordable one-year deal.
Criticize front-office decisions as you will, the one thing that is difficult to criticize is the spending level on their payroll. It has consistently risen for the last 10 years. In 2010 their payroll was south of $100 million. Last year would have been over $160 million in a full season.
SalaryCapMyth
@Nugget- I don’t think you intended to say the Cardinals will pick up Wong’s option because they already turned it down.
Fivehead
@Nuggethoarder So has everyone’s salaries. What’s your point?
Tim_Buck-Two
The payroll has increased as payroll across baseball has increased with inflation increasing and the value of the dollar falling. They haven’t attracted good players to play here, and signed bad contracts to hand out money to 34 year olds who hit .150, not good baseball strategy, especially when both of them are leadoff hitters and can’t bat anywhere else in the lineup. Lets not talk about the trades, one name says it all Arozarena.
kevincwilson
Anyone else see the cards offered Wong a multi year deal that he declined??
JoeBrady
Good. The RS need a 2B, and better defense.
I think some of these players being cut, declined, non-tendered, etc., are going to be pleasantly surprised.
For every owner that is worried about finances, there will be another owner seeing a buying opportunity. The law of supply and demand stipulates that prices will decline until some owners see it as a buying opportunity.
SimbaHOF2019
saw that. I heard 4 years 24 million. Not a bad offer. he must be in demand.
Tapeman69
havent heard that
Francys01
It’s time to re-sign Yadi and Wainwright.
bot
Did u miss what he said ? In 4 months, if they are both still available- cards will consider those dudes.
AngelsAdvocate
No.
Meme
Dewitt family is thus the same family who owned the Reds in the 1960’s And traded Frank Robinson to Baltimore
No wonder Cincy hates the Cards so much, it’s the oener
oscar gamble
It doesn’t have anything to do with the owner. It’s from on the field competition with the Cardinals winning quite a bit and from the Cincinnati viewpoint being nasty about it.
DSE
I have lived in both cities. Cinci fans do not like the Cards because they win a lot and many view them as a rival. It is almost a jealousy type of hate. St Louis fans hate the Cubs more because of the historic rivalry, but do not like the Reds because of some dirty play and, specifically, a few years ago when Cueto kicked Larue and ended his career.
Tapeman69
ummm brandon phillips
JoeBrady
It’s the fans. St. Louis might be the most dangerous city in the US, maybe the world, But the fans don’t care. The Cards could be a .400 team, in last place, and it’s raining, and 30,000 fans will show up.
As a RS fan, and a baseball fan, it is a beautiful thing to watch.
Cincy, not so very much.
DSE
Agreed that the fans show up in St Louis. Stating that St Louis is the most dangerous city in the US is ignorant. The numbers do not back that up at all.
Android Dawesome
Thats not true. St Louis ranked 2, maybe not 1 but 2. They have a rate of 1,927 violent crimes per 100000 people. Detroit is 1 with 1,965… which really isnt much more. Where are you getting your data from?
SimbaHOF2019
St Louis area is not that dangerous. the city proper has most of the poorest areas and thus more dangerous.. If the city limits extended father like most cities it would look alot different.
DSE
This is correct. The stats that paint a bad picture do not include suburbs and surrounding areas in the way that other cities are accounted for.
RunDMC
Yeah, but what kind of fluid?
bot
Kinda like antifreeze, but for baseball teams- called anti-bankrupt.
tim815
Synovial.
Monkey’s Uncle
Since they are possibly pumping the brakes on spending, it must be brake fluid
Halokid97_
Marsh LF/ upton CF trout RF adell / ward
3B Rendon SS fletcher 2B Wong / jam jones
1B walsh / Pujols C Yadi Molina / stassi / ward
Bundy Bauer ohtani canning tanaka wainwright
Middleton FelixPena Sandoval
ty buttery Meyers Jamie barria bradhand
cookmeister 2
Jam Jones is trash
DarkSide830
give the kid a chance jeez
Angels & NL West
HaloKid – Love it. I’m not sure how likely it is that the Angels could sign all the FAs listed above, but I would surely take my chances with that team.
Bauer, Tanaka, Wainwright and Hand all make the Angels pitching staff better. And Wong and Molina fill two big holes. But that would make for one hefty payroll. I feel like the Angels will be better positioned to make a huge splash like this once Pujols and Upton come off the books.
I like where your going with this. Thanks for sharing… and keep ’em coming.
Tim_Buck-Two
So that’s why Albert went to the California Las Angeles Angels Of Anaheim so that he could have a better chance at winning the world series cause Yadi, Waino, and Wong joined him 10 years later.
619bird
Ha! This is typical coach speak from the organization
They’ll be competitive but without an impact bat they’ll be hovering above .500
larry48
below 500 if they play normal all teams.
SignWongTradeSolano
They have some nice young players like Bader and Flaherty but I think the Goldy deal will hold them back especially for the last few years of it.
Tapeman69
no worse than carpenter and fowler
UnknownPoster
As bad as this sounds, I think their budget (and many other teams) will be tied into “will some version of expanded playoffs stay?”
Lot more teams are competitive when just above .500=no longer the bottom seed
And of course, if fans are allowed and at what capacity. We as fans may not like it but those are very legitimate questions to know the answer to before setting budgets (I say “we” because every team is doing some version of this. Extremity is where teams will differentiate )
ASapsFables
Fluid as in piss-‘pour’?
troll
sheet can
Armaments216
Fluid and piss-‘pour’ as in their paying players with cases of Busch.
Tim_Buck-Two
That train caught the last bus to the coast when imbev purchased AB same summer Jackson died, the day the music died
its_happening
Carpenter extension followed by the Goldschmidt trade and extension forced the Wong play. Now Carpenter has a position (presumably 3B) on the field. Seems nobody wants to take the NL Central right now with the Cubs looking to shed, Reds are losing their ace and Milwaukee’s refusal to spend around Yelich. Cardinals still might wind up being the division favorite.
Troutgolfsinoctober
That’s a very good observation. Have to agree. Not sure cards will win it or not but they have a nice shot.
bot
If cutting u was wong. I don’t want to be wainwright
jimij
But will having Wong make it wright
troll
yadi yadi yadi
Bot bot
“Fluid, flexibility” somehow these are always the most descriptive words used by cards brass to answer any question. Time to sell.
Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher
As a Phillies fan, I always admired teams like the Cardinals and Dodgers. Competitive year after year with playoff and WS appearances on their resumes. Both teams always seem to have a good number of homegrown players on their rosters. In Philly, we see that about once every 30 years or so. Won it all in 1980 and 2008, and both teams had a number of guys who came up through the Phillies farm system. To me, an organization like St. Louis and LA Dodgers are the gold standards for how a baseball team should be run. JMHO, but even without Wong, and maybe sans Molina too, the Cardinals will still be contending for the NL Central crown in 2021. Cubs are on the down slope; Brewers have no starting pitching and the Pirates, yuck! Reds would be my choice for the team most likely to challenge the Cardinals for supremacy within their division. Cardinal fans, be thankful for what you have. Way better situation than most.
DarkSide830
this ^
Tim_Buck-Two
They have the potential to be so much better, which is why most are upset. Its like watching your son or daughter mess up but they won’t change and you love them. Arozarena, Carpenter, Fowler, Cecil, Holland, Mercado, Pham, Miller, failed signings, extensions, or trades.
RIP Oscar Taveres
Will always love the Cardinals
troll
voit, kelly, weaver
could have signed holliday one more year…
Brac2brac
Meh. It’s just business and covid is real. Real that it can affect your health and real that it has financial effects.
Free market discussions aside- baseball tickets cost too much for too many fans. Lots of people will have been lost as in-person fans forever. Millennials won’t consume high priced entertainment the same way their parents did.
Expect more of these types of cost reductions – non-tenders, shorter FA contracts at lower AAV and fewer teams spending outrageous amounts of money for good, but not elite players. In person viewing at prior levels ain’t coming back anytime soon. More bickering between MLBPA and owners will further tamp down even post season viewership.
marinersblue96
MLB is the most reasonably priced of the 4 main professional sports leagues. You can easily get tix for around the cost of a movie in most places.
saluelthpops
Has there ever been an owner who didn’t say they “intend to field a competitive roster”? This tells us nothing, especially when the Cardinal’s idea of a “competitive roster” is not to win championships but to simply be just competitive enough to not spend too much but still keep fans in the seats.
This off-season approach is nothing new. Use the pandemic as an excuse all you want, but this is how they have operated for the past decade. As long as they keep rolling out Brad Miller types in the clean-up spot I won’t be convinced that they are trying to actually compete.
whyhayzee
Someone should pick up Kolten Wong and Kean Wong and trade them for Mitch White.
gbs42
I see what you did there.
Dotnet22
I see what you did there.
Fully6822
I’m hoping this is all a plan to sign Nolan after the 2021 season.
gbs42
I don’t think Arenado is foolish enough to opt out after next season – unleelss he has an MVP- type season.
Fully6822
Hey…a guy can dream can’t he? Lol