Every year, or at least every year since 2012, we’ve taken some time after the season was over to look at the past 162 games through the lens of the players that played them (and the management that was in charge of them). Last year, the Exit Interview series spent less time digging into splits and finding numerical oddities and more time reflecting on the player and their season. It was a style that seemed to work so we’re going to bring it back again this year. The legendary cardinalsgifs is back to bring us excellent series art, so it’s all downhill after you see that!
Player: Keynan Middleton
While we gave John Mozeliak a ton of credit last year for how he rebuilt the bullpen, through trades and minor signings, his big splash to finish it off went, well, about the way most of Mozeliak’s forays into the free agent reliever pool have gone. It’s not his fault, of course. Nobody was expecting injuries to play the role that they did, though it’s not surprising when a player gets hurt. Middleton threw three innings in the spring, then came down lame and eventually underwent season ending surgery. While the bullpen was the least of the Cardinals problems in 2024, it would have been really nice to see Middleton get a shot to show exactly why he was a big pickup.
What’s in store for 2025: In other years, the Cards would have picked up the option or at least tried to work out a deal that maybe got them an extra year of control. The change in focus from the front office, though, meant that St. Louis declined the option and aren’t likely to engage with him for a return. He’ll probably wind up in Atlanta or Los Angeles and we’ll always wonder what might have been.
