Cardinals Have Created Hill To Climb With Drought Of Success

While Chaim Bloom works to steer the St. Louis Cardinals in the right direction, the organization took a major hit when Arizona Diamondbacks superstar Ketel Marte listed the Redbirds as one of the teams on his no-trade list, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Marte also listed the Pittsburgh Pirates, Athletics, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants as teams he would not accept a trade to. 

While the 32-year-old Diamondbacks All-Star was an unlikely fit for the Cardinals due to their current trajectory, this still stains the image of the organization. Players didn’t use to put the Cardinals on a no-trade list, but in the coming seasons until the team turns the tide, more and more players might begin to put the Cardinals off to the side in no-trade clauses and in free agency.

The Cardinals were once an organization that players wanted to be in, with the fanbase and the organization at their backs. But with trade rumors swirling around their veterans and a timeline for competitive baseball in the works, St. Louis does not have the same allure as they once did.

While not the end of the world for the Cardinals, as they don’t have a dire need for a player like Marte, given the current direction of the organization, this does pile onto the organization's image. In a poll published by The Athletic back in June, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was tied with ex-Colorado Rockies Manager Bud Black for being the manager players wanted to play for the least.

Marmol has faced plenty of heat for the team's poor performance. With his contract set to expire at the end of next season and franchise legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina interested in managing a major league team, he will be managing with something to prove next season.

The Cardinals do not have the same presence in the free agent and trade market as they once did. The recent stretch of failure, including not winning a postseason series since 2019, Mike Schildt’s first full season as the Cardinals' skipper, and having just one playoff win in the years since, has created an enormous hill for the Cardinals to climb.

While the historical prestige might help matters as the Cardinals look to return to their dominant state, only time will tell how long it will be before the Cardinals become a hotbed for champions once again.