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The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

“Kind of, but not really.”

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Don’t flatter yourself…

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

We will see how 2026 shakes out but you can’t use spending as an excuse for prior years as it pertains to roster. They spent. Not Dodger spending but they spent. Fans who really follow the team know bad luck combined with bad moves combined with bad player development is the real reason we are where we are at this point.

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Cardinals team record for loses is 111 (1898).

I'll bet the house they don't "threaten" that record.

Trust me, I follow the team. We traded away Donovan, Gray, Contreras, and signed only an injured pitcher.
We are being run into the ground. When you can't name a remotely decent pitcher for opening day, you're going to have a long, long season.
This is why our TV & online media stations and personalities have fled the scene.
This is a tank job of massive proportions.

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:53 am

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Cardinals team record for loses is 111 (1898).

I'll bet the house they don't "threaten" that record.

Vlad employs a LOT of hyperbole in his OP. Mo's laziness, arrogance and stubbornness over the last ten years have determined the state of the Cardinals much more than any MLB conspiracy to use the Cards as a CBA bargaining example.

BrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:53 am

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Cardinals team record for loses is 111 (1898).

I'll bet the house they don't "threaten" that record.

Vlad employs a LOT of hyperbole in his OP. Mo's laziness, arrogance and stubbornness over the last ten years have determined the state of the Cardinals much more than any MLB conspiracy to use the Cards as a CBA bargaining example.

BINGO!

Mo was a vessel of Dewitt. He was following marching orders.
What exactly has changed now with Bloom? Nothing.

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:41 am

BrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:53 am

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Cardinals team record for loses is 111 (1898).

I'll bet the house they don't "threaten" that record.

Vlad employs a LOT of hyperbole in his OP. Mo's laziness, arrogance and stubbornness over the last ten years have determined the state of the Cardinals much more than any MLB conspiracy to use the Cards as a CBA bargaining example.

BINGO!

Bingo. We've been spending money up until this year. Just spending it poorly.

Jatalk wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:40 am

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

We will see how 2026 shakes out but you can’t use spending as an excuse for prior years as it pertains to roster. They spent. Not Dodger spending but they spent. Fans who really follow the team know bad luck combined with bad moves combined with bad player development is the real reason we are where we are at this point.

Father time hitting Goldy and Arenado hard after 2022, and couple that with no one stepping up to pick up the slack....looking at Gorman, O'Neill, and Carlson here. Contreras, Donovan and Noot tried, but they couldn't do it. Walker was informed he needed a swing change after a hot start to the season in 2023, and that bit of advice has ruined his young career...so far.

Yep...they spent...and they continued spending, but after 2023, they were just delaying the inevitable.

Father time and players not able to reached their potential....bad timing.

Strummer Jones wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:46 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:41 am

BrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:33 am

rockondlouie wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:53 am

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 10:19 am The 2026 Cardinals are being tanked for a greater MLB endgame in 2028. St. Louis is being used by MLB as a perfect example of a cautionary tale, a team whose once proud fan base has abandoned ship, due to our small market “inability” to compete with big market spenders New York and Los Angeles. All fans, and even many players across the nation will point to St. Louis as the perfect example of why we need a salary cap.
We may set a team record for losses. And Cardinal fans are the sad recipients of the fallout.
Checkmate.

Cardinals team record for loses is 111 (1898).

I'll bet the house they don't "threaten" that record.

Vlad employs a LOT of hyperbole in his OP. Mo's laziness, arrogance and stubbornness over the last ten years have determined the state of the Cardinals much more than any MLB conspiracy to use the Cards as a CBA bargaining example.

BINGO!

Bingo. We've been spending money up until this year. Just spending it poorly.

Exactly

While it's fun to call BDWJr "cheap", the facts is he gave Mo plenty of money and Mo blew the vast majority of it on bad extensions and free agent signings I won't list because we all know them.

Why I hope C. Bloom doesn't pay the price for Mo's bungles for more than a couple of seasons, Dewitt has to trust he'll make much better decisions.

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:28 am Trust me, I follow the team. We traded away Donovan, Gray, Contreras, and signed only an injured pitcher.
We are being run into the ground. When you can't name a remotely decent pitcher for opening day, you're going to have a long, long season.
This is why our TV & online media stations and personalities have fled the scene.
This is a tank job of massive proportions.

The cardinals aren’t likely going to be that good, but the rotation will likely be better than last season, assuming Pallante stays out of it

Nice to see you back Catherine. How was your time in the Gulag?

Konstantinov wrote: ↑04 Mar 2026 11:28 am Trust me, I follow the team. We traded away Donovan, Gray, Contreras, and signed only an injured pitcher.
We are being run into the ground. When you can't name a remotely decent pitcher for opening day, you're going to have a long, long season.
This is why our TV & online media stations and personalities have fled the scene.
This is a tank job of massive proportions.

What long term business strategy does BDW have that could possibly look like the picture you paint? BDW and his partners are smart business people. There just isn't a logical business case to support your conspiracy theory. It just doesn't make any fiscal sense. The scheme of which you speak, using the Cards as an example of why MLB needs a salary cap, isn't needed. A huge gap between the haves and the have nots already exists. MLB doesn't need to manufacture one.

It makes incredible business sense. If the league gets a salary cap, the owners will save billions of dollars over the years. Just like the other 3 pro sports leagues do.

One team losing millions over 1 to 3 seasons is nothing.