Cardinals fans may get their pound of flesh in end of season press conference

There may be changes on the horizon for the St. Louis Cardinals after missing the playoffs for the second straight season. While those changes are unlikely to include president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who is signed through the end of the 2025 season and is a likely candidate to step aside at that date, it'd be a surprise if staffing changes weren't part of the conversation.

The Cards will host an end-of-season press conference on Sept. 30. While the actual changes are likely to leak out beforehand, it remains to be seen if the alterations are of a variety St. Louis baseball fans will respect and understand. Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat revealed the following nugget about the Cardinals winter plans over the weekend.

"The club is expected to host an end-of-season press conference as soon as Monday, September 30; from that gathering, there’s likely to be announced staffing changes which stretch from the front office to the dugout, and in so doing, an opportunity for the Cardinals to reset the energy from a frustrated fan base that doesn’t view 2024 as a solid improvement from a dismal 2023," Jones wrote.

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Heads will roll at the St. Louis Cardinals end-of-season press conference

This comes just days after Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras made it very clear the current roster isn't good enough, specifically as it pertains to the lineup. Contreras has spent two years with the Cardinals -- a team he signed with in part to make a playoff run -- and has missed the postseason two seasons running.

“There’s some areas that need to be addressed,” Contreras said. “I don’t know if the front office is going to, but...we didn’t come together as an offense at all, during the whole year. There’s a lot of holes throughout the lineup as well, from one to nine."

After St. Louis makes some necessary internal adjustments, whether it be in the front office or coaching staff, they must next decide what the 2025 Cardinals direction should be. Is St. Louis a team in transition, or do they plan on making a significant push come next spring? If the answer is the latter, then it'll be an active winter in free agency and the trade market for Mozeliak.

As Contreras mentioned, the lineup is a problem. Paul Goldschmidt is a free agent, and the Cards could pay up to replace him with Christian Walker or Pete Alonso. The outfield remains a question mark, with young pieces like Jordan Walker in the mix for regular spots in 2025.