After spending a dozen seasons being involved with St. Louis Cardinals television broadcasts in some capacity, former Cardinals player Jim Edmonds won’t be back in 2025 in what Edmonds described as a “mutual decision” as part of an interview on “The Morning After” on 101ESPN in St. Louis on Monday.
However, while Edmonds may be walking away from his broadcasting position, he certainly has plenty of thoughts on what has been and is going on with the Cardinals, a team that hasn’t reached the postseason since being swept out of the wild-card round in 2022.
“It’s not fun any more,” Edmonds said. “They don’t make you feel like you’re wanted, be around the stadium. I love (manager Oliver Marmol), the DeWitts, I have so much respect for, (president of baseball operations John Mozeliak). Everybody’s great. But somehow, indoors, in the inner circle … It’s just not the same organization.”
Edmonds called out a lack of clubhouse access as part of the problem, insinuating the Cardinals weren’t willing to listen to some of the advice he had gathered as a former player and broadcaster.
“They make it pretty obvious, even the security guards, like, ‘Hey, you know, it might not be a good time,'” Edmonds said. “I’m like, ‘Fine with me. I don’t need to be in there. If you don’t want me to tell your pitchers that they’re tipping their pitches … I’m going to take my talents out here to Tennessee and learn how to be a gardener and farmer.”
Edmonds said the Cardinals “don’t invite” former players to spring training to mix with the current players, asking the radio hosts, “When was the last time you’ve seen a Hall of Famer in the dugout in spring training?
“They just don’t invite us down there any more,” he continued. “It’s a whole different atmosphere and it kind of makes you feel you’re not appreciated, not wanted and don’t need your help.”
Edmonds was asked if part of the disconnect might be because Marmol and Mike Shildt, the last two Cardinals managers, were not former players. Edmonds, however, dismissed that thought.
“I love Oli, and Mike was amazing,” Edmonds said. “It’s just the atmosphere. You can just feel the tension when you walk around.
“It’s just weird. It’s just a different atmosphere now. We’re definitely aware of it as a group that we’re not really wanted around there any more.”
In the PECOTA projections from Baseball Prospectus released on Monday, the Cardinals were predicted to finish with a losing record and in the middle of the National League Central in 2025. If that holds, it would mean the Cardinals would miss the postseason for the third straight year, so Edmonds was asked if the recent play by the Cardinals has added to the chasm between the past and the present.
“I would think that would make it the opposite, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you think that there would be other guys that could maybe help? Maybe certain eyeballs aren’t seeing certain things,” Edmonds said. “Or are you so ingrained in what you’re doing that you don’t you think you need any help?”