I am not an expert and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but I would think the LA tv deals will dictate blackouts. If St L is playing in NY. No problem. If they are playing the Dodgers, it will be blacked out.
St Louis Cardinals 2026
I googled today about Cardinal baseball in 2026 on DIRECTV. The response was that MLB TV would replace FanDuel on 671. I have not seen this anyplace else. So I do not know if it is accurate or not. I am located in the viewing area in my little niche of Southern Illinois.
Cardinals.TV | St. Louis Cardinals
Fans will once again have access to a direct-to-consumer streaming platform, offering in-market access to live Cardinals games.
www.mlb.com
This has basically everything you need to know. But specifically:
Can I still watch Cardinals games through my satellite or cable provider?
Yes. Cardinals.TV will be available on a variety of cable and satellite providers. Specific providers and channel locations will be announced closer to the start of the season.
There was also another 7 years ahead of that under Mozeliak that they hovered in that 10ish range as well. I really don't have any issues with the Cardinals being anywhere from 8-12ish in the payroll ranks when they're competitive - that's pretty good for their market and shows that they're trying. Like I'm not going to get all upset about being 12th in 2015 when they won 100 games because that team had a lot of arb guys producing so no reason to spend money just to spend money.
Yes, 2022/ 2023 is when the Diamond Sports Group TV contract started to fail. They missed their first team payment at the beginning of the 2023 season (to the Padres), and they were already in bankruptcy proceedings over that Winter. That drop in payroll ranks coincides with that (and with the Cardinals market and revenue mix, they do overly rely on gate receipts, so there's an argument to be made that COVID did disproportionally affect them).
I'm not saying it's a good reason, but it's a reason approaching reasonable to believe. Now that the TV stuff is relatively settled (they can at least project forward with significantly more confidence), it's reasonable to believe they could get payroll back into the 10ish range if needed. It won't be overnight, especially since coming back to competitiveness will obviously feature a lot of cheap talent coming from the farm work being done.
But here's the thing. They could have been competitive THIS YEAR if they upped payroll to $250 million (i.e. top 10). Keep Gray and Donny that brings you to about $130 million. You were ready to call this a borderline playoff team with just Donny back. You don't think having Gray and then an additional $120 million to get maybe 2 more pitchers and an OF bay gets us into the race for the NL Central title?
They chose to tear it all down instead - because they never intend to spend like that again. I think the allure of winning is gone, and the goal is now maximizing profits. They want to be the Cincinnati Reds or Pittsburgh Pirates who once a decade or so become playoff contender on the strength of young talent, don't increase payroll and pocket the increases revenue from that success, and then sell off the bulk of that talent before they have to pay hoping to repeat the cycle with the prospects they get for their stars.
viking6888
Greeley, Colorado
Interesting take..i hope you are wrong.
Me too.
What worries me is the way the DeWitts over the last half decade have begun to talk about the franchise in terms of market size and being a small market team. While technically true, it ignores the fact that the Cards have historically been able to spend beyond the means of true small and even mid-market teams, due to historical success, exceptionally enthusiastic local support, and a footprint that extends to into Arkansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. I don't think this shift in how the organization talks about itself is unintentional.
Dee_4_Three_83
- Mahomet, IL
I am very much on board with the plan. Herrera was the only player on MLB Top 100 right now list. We basically had a team of replacement level players, not bad, not great. I think the vision and goal is to get back to the roots of Cardinal baseball: Draft and Develop. Trade from surplus talent and fill out with value free agents. I think the DeWitts were convinced they could continue to produce major league talent in house without investing in it. I think they are trying to correct it now.
Another factor in this discussion is the upcoming CBA. If the strike does happen, there is wisdom in saving money now to prepare, especially given the expected trajectory of the next wave of prospects coming up.
It seems to me the guys on the team now are auditioning to be the veteran presence on a winning team in 3-4 years. This will be a great time to watch some Minor League baseball in Memphis, Springfield, and Peoria. And also, it should be a great time to get cheap seats in the Lou.
Another factor in this discussion is the upcoming CBA. If the strike does happen, there is wisdom in saving money now to prepare, especially given the expected trajectory of the next wave of prospects coming up.
It seems to me the guys on the team now are auditioning to be the veteran presence on a winning team in 3-4 years. This will be a great time to watch some Minor League baseball in Memphis, Springfield, and Peoria. And also, it should be a great time to get cheap seats in the Lou.
For those asking, this is the map they included on the Cardinals.TV website as far as what is considered within the Cardinals territory:
Kind of misrepresenting what I said - I very clearly said this team (with Donovan) was a high 70s win team that could luck their way into a wildcard (which only required 83 wins last year), and that was in direct response to a guy saying they're a 67 win team. Yes, I do agree they could have kept the team as is before all the trades this offseason (except Arenado, that needed to happen), added an OF and a couple starters, and they would have pushed their expected wins into the mid 80s for solid wildcard contention 80th percentile wins into compete for the central title. But that's a little bit a function of how bad the NL Central is (Cubs aren't nearly as good as everyone thinks they are and the Brewers lowered their ceiling). And probably results in a 60 win team in the near future due to out years in those contracts and being hamstrung as a mid market team.
There actually is a reasonable balance to strike when spending money, especially as a mid to small market team. Teams like the Mets can throw money around because larger contracts won't hamstring them in the out years. That does not apply to the Cardinals. I actually really liked the era of constant contention with projected wins in the 88-90 range. That gets you into the playoffs every year and the playoffs are still kind of a crap shoot (might be changing with just how much better the Dodgers are than everyone else due to payroll discrepancy). Just throwing money in without a decent 5 year plan on when those contracts roll off turns you into a cheaper version of the Mets, which won't end well.
You could be right, they could just be the Pirates now who feign contention once a decade. But I've laid out the reasons why I think the last few years have been an anomaly and this reset seems reasonable. I'll give the ownership team who had the Cardinals in relative constant contention for 20 years prior to COVID at least reasonable doubt they're going to try again rather than be that kind of team, though.
ptgrd23
- orange county CA
Jocketty rebuilt team starting in 1994 by aggressive trades and free agents, and hiring LaRussa His key play was to trade for pending free agents from non contenders and re-sign them.
Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, Woody Williams, Larry Walker and Adam Wainwright
Today teams rarely do salary dumps of players still in their prime without demanding substantial return.
Chaim Bloom is challenged to do the same.
Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, Woody Williams, Larry Walker and Adam Wainwright
Today teams rarely do salary dumps of players still in their prime without demanding substantial return.
Chaim Bloom is challenged to do the same.
Dee_4_Three_83
- Mahomet, IL
If that's the case, does that mean if we live in that area, we won't be blacked out on any games hosted by cardinals.tv? I am assuming ESPN or AppleTV games will still be blacked out.For those asking, this is the map they included on the Cardinals.TV website as far as what is considered within the Cardinals territory:
The only games that wouldn't be on there would be games on ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and FOX.
viking6888
Greeley, Colorado
WOW.. what a list..it truly was a great time to be a Cardinal fan.
viking6888
Greeley, Colorado
A couple gems that the YouTube algorithms gave me.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Thanks for the tip. I just checked it out.
I have heard Lance Lynn on both Major League Baseball TV and Radio networks. He offers some pretty good insight. Jim Hayes was part of the purge when the TV contract went south.
ptgrd23
- orange county CA
I would like Cards to pick up Castellanos for major league minimum to play at DH. He hit 250 with 17 HR 72 RBI last year. We need cheap RH power bats
If he gets hot - flip him for prospect at trade deadline.
I would park Gorman at 3rd, Wetherholt at 2nd, Burleson at 1st base, Herrera at catcher, Walker in RF, Scott in CF and Nootbar in LF (if he comes back)
If he gets hot - flip him for prospect at trade deadline.
I would park Gorman at 3rd, Wetherholt at 2nd, Burleson at 1st base, Herrera at catcher, Walker in RF, Scott in CF and Nootbar in LF (if he comes back)
You want to bring in a 33 year old a below average hitting (88 OPS+, 90 wRC+), below replacement level player (-0.8 bWAR, -0.6 fWAR) to take away plate appearances from young players in a year we are not competing because we sold off all our established players, a move that was partly justified by a desire to give young players more opportunities?
And he's not gonna get hot. He hasn't been hot since 2021.
I think thats a good line-up for 7 spots. Nootbart should not be ALLOWED back. Put him and Ricky Horton in a package deal and ship them to the Springfield Lucky Horse Shoes!!
No chance this happens.
Only way he ends up in Memphis is if he somehow doesn't make the club out of spring training.
Ricky is fine. Him and John Rooney have found a really great groove on radio.