"It's not something new" - Cardinals HOFer hints at St. Louis rejecting Nolan Arenado’s hitting coach request
The St. Louis Cardinals are attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. Former Cardinals star Jim Edmonds criticized the state of the team and the culture the franchise has developed in recent years.
The Cardinals Hall of Famer, who has worked in the broadcast booth for nearly 10 years, said that a couple of years ago, a third baseman wanted to work with 12-time All-Star Mark McGwire to improve his hitting. However, the organization denied his request.
"There was a guy, I won't name, but he plays third base, asked if Mark McGuire could come to spring training and they said, 'No, we have everything we need,'" Edmonds said on 101 ESPN St. Louis Radio.
"I heard that he asked, and they kind of just said, 'We don't need him; we have everything that we need; thank you.' And that was a couple of years ago, so it's not just something new."
Edmonds didn't explicitly name Arenado, but said the third baseman in question was from Newport Beach, California, all but confirming that it was the 10-time Gold Glove winner. A report from Dugout claimed that the organization denied Arenado a chance to work with a proven veteran hitter.
Jim Edmonds leaves Cardinals booth for good, cites poor state of the club
Jim Edmonds has been calling games for the Cardinals since 2016. However, in the last few years, the organization hasn't been anywhere close to competitive, and their problems might have to do with what happens in their training facilities.
Edmonds brought that to notice after announcing that he won't return to call games for the club in 2025.
"I haven't gone really down in spring training the last couple of years," Edmonds said. "It's not fun anymore. They don't make you feel like you're wanted. ... Indoors in the inner inner circle. It's just not the same. It's not the same organization.
"It's not fun to be around. ... they make it pretty obvious, even the security guards like, ‘Hey, you know, it might not be a good time.’ I'm like, fine with me. I don't need to be in there. You know, I don't, if you don't want me to tell your pitchers that they're tipping their pitches, or this guy's pulling off, and I don't really give two shits about it."
The Cardinals haven't made the postseason in the last two years, and given how this offseason has gone, they might miss out once again. It will be interesting to see if the front office responds to Edmonds' claim on the state of the team.