Cardinals have much bigger long-term problems than Oli Marmol and John Mozeliak

Frankly, St. Louis Cardinals fans have reason to be frustrated with both manager Oli Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak since the All-Star break and, more acutely, the trade deadline. Even after a win over the Royals on Friday night, the Cards have been a middling 5-5 over their last 10 games, a mediocre trend line that has continued to push them 1.5 games out of the final wild card spot in the National League.

Marmol's decision-making in the clubhouse has been under fire for the better part of the last two seasons now. His lineup decisions, in-game moves, and so on have all been called into question. That pales in comparison to Mozeliak, who many Cardinals fans have questioned amid free agency moves (or lack thereof), some of the trades the organization has made, and often his lack of foresight.

That last part, however, might be the most crucial at this current juncture. Because while Cardinals fans might be looking for scapegoats regarding any issues, the truth of the matter is that their biggest long-term issue is actually taking shape down on the farm.

Cardinals farm system rankings are bigger long-term concern than management

Baseball America ($) recently released their updated farm system rankings and the Cardinals fell into the bottom third of the league, even if narrowly slow, with the 21st-ranked system. This isn't a precipitous drop from earlier in the year, to be sure, as St. Louis was ranked just 20th in the preseason rankings. To Mozeliak's credit, it was a clear point of emphasis at the trade deadline to add the likes of Tommy Pham and others without dealing away high-end prospects in the system.

The big worry, however, is that the Cardinals have seen that farm system drop off from recent years. At the start of the 2023 season, the organization's minor league talent was ranked as the ninth-best in baseball by Baseball America.

Some will argue that the club has some young talent they've brought to the major-league roster, guys like Victor Scott II, Alec Burleson and others. At the same time, the ideal world would have St. Louis doing so and still having the ability to replenish with draft picks, trades, and so on.

What's most worrisome regarding these farm system rankings for the Redbirds is the state of that roster. While young pieces with upside are in place, this is also a squad anchored by aging veterans like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and so on. It's a group that could use a youth movement in a hurry.

To be sure, there are reinforcements as young prospects like Tink Hence and even Jordan Walker still capture fans' imaginations for the future. At the same time, however, if they want to elevate by way of a major trade, they don't have the prospect depth to make those moves and still have the reinforcements coming.

How Mozeliak aims to handle this moving forward will be another inflection point for the Cardinals' future. And while he's the lightning rod for criticism, how the farm system develops these prospects and readies them to take the next step -- in addition to how the depth is addressed -- is crucial.