TheSt. Louis Cardinals, aprofessional baseballfranchise based inSt. Louis,Missouri, compete in theNational League (NL) ofMajor League Baseball (MLB).
In 1882, the St. Louis Brown Stockings were purchased byChris von der Ahe, aGermanimmigrant who became agrocer and saloon owner. He had no background in baseball but saw moneymaking potential in the sport.[1] After the Browns profited $25,000 from playing a season's worth of informal contests, Von der Ahe bought out the team's remaining stockholders for $1,800.[2] In 1882, Von der Ahe joined other owners to form theAmerican Association of Base Ball Clubs.[3]
Von der Ahe was a flamboyant and magnanimousentrepreneur who gained enormous popularity in St. Louis. He was willing to charge lower admission rates, encouraged play on Sundays, and soldbeer at thestadium, a practice that theNational League prohibited at the time. But he was reviled by owners,suchAlbert Spalding, who bristled at promotional techniques that are today common.Charlie O. Finley,Larry MacPhail, andBill Veeck eventually employed sideshow attractions such as the "stadium club" and the shoot-the-chute.[4]
Von der Ahe was one of the few owners to make a profit during his time. The American Association eventually collapsed due to bankruptcy.[5] In 1899, Von der Ahe himself was forced to sell the Browns due to bankruptcy.[5]
Automobile dealerSam Breadon purchased a minority stake in the Cardinals in 1917 for $2,000. Three years later, Breadon bought the majority stake in the club. He extinguished the futility that surrounded the Cardinals' first three decades in the National League: between 1926 and 1946, the Cardinals won sixWorld Series titles and nineNational League pennants. Between 1920 and 1947, the Cardinals compiled a record of 2,470-1,830, a winning percentage of .574.[6]
Breadon was conservative with his finances, highly demanding of his teams' success on the field, and a maker of bold moves. When he became minority owner, the Cardinals were $150,000 in debt.[7] In 1925, he movedBranch Rickey fromthe dugout to thefront office and promotedsecond basemanRogers Hornsby toplayer-manager. Breadon convinced cross-townAmerican League rivalSt. Louis Browns ownerPhil Ball to allow the Cardinals to move intoSportsman's Park. This allowed him to sell the dilapidatedRobison Field property for a total of $275,000 tothe city and atrolley company, clear the team's debts, and, with Rickey's oversight, establish an official, contractually-linkedminor leaguefarm system, the predecessor of today's minor league system. The Cardinals used it to circumvent the practice of bidding against the more affluent Major League teams such as theNew York Yankees andNew York Giants for players from minor league teams, which at that time were unaffiliated. It was the first player development system of its kind in professional sport.[8]
In 1947, Breadon sold the Cardinals toFred Saigh andRobert Hannegan for $3 million, at the time the largest transaction in baseball history.[7][9]
At the end of the 1947 baseball season, Saigh got wind that longtime Cardinals owner Sam Breadon wanted to sell. Breadon faced two problems. He was ill with prostate cancer, and he had been unable to find land on which to build a planned new ballpark. The Cardinals had rented Sportsman's Park from the city's other major league team, the American League Browns, since 1920. The Cardinals had long since surpassed the Browns as the city's most popular team, and Breadon wanted to build a park of his own. He had set aside $5 million to build a park, and was facing the end of a five-year deadline to build it before having to pay taxes on that money. Saigh persuaded Breadon to sell the Cardinals to him, with the assurance that he wouldn't have to pay taxes on his $5 million fund. To further put him at ease, Saigh brought in Robert Hannegan as a minority partner. Hannegan was a prominent St. Louis businessman, former United States Postmaster General, and confidante of President Harry Truman. The $4 million deal closed in late 1947.
Saigh inherited a team in transition. The Cardinals, though then just one year removed from their ninth National League pennant and sixth World Series championship since 1926, had begun to decay as an organization. Five years before, Breadon had forced out legendary general manager Branch Rickey, who had quickly resurfaced with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Browns, under new owner Bill Veeck, began a concerted effort to drive the Cardinals out of town.[10]
In January 1949, Hannegan, suffering from poor health, sold his share of the team to Saigh.[11] Hannegan died that October of heart disease. As sole owner, Saigh's notable actions included leading other baseball owners to oust (by not renewing his contract) Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler in December 1950[12] and proposing revenue-sharing of local television revenues.[13]
However, the tax dodge Saigh used soon came to light, as well as other questionable practices on his part.[10] Saigh was indicted on federal charges of evading $49,260 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949. In January 1953, he pleaded no contest to two counts involving more than $19,000 in tax underpayments, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.[14] He served five months at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, leaving in November 1953 when he was given parole for good behavior.
In February 1953, under pressure from Commissioner Ford Frick, Saigh put the Cardinals up for sale.[14] Saigh almost certainly would have been thrown out of baseball if he hadn't sold the team. For a time, no credible offers surfaced from St. Louis interests, making it seem likely that the team would be purchased by someone interested in moving them to another city. The most promising offer came from a consortium of businessmen in Houston, Texas. The Cardinals owned the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League; under major-league rules of the time, that meant they also held the major-league rights to Houston. The only question was whether Buffalo Stadium could be upgraded to major-league standards.[15]
However, just before he was due to reach a final agreement with the Houston group, Saigh sold the Cardinals to Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based brewery. Although Anheuser-Busch's offer was far less ($3.75 million) than what out-of-town suitors had on the table, Anheuser-Busch president Gussie Busch persuaded Saigh that civic pride was more important than money. This all but assured that the Cardinals would stay in St. Louis. Shortly afterward, the Cardinals bought Sportsman's Park from the Browns. With their remaining leverage gone, it was the Browns who left town by the end of the season, becoming the Baltimore Orioles.
In 1953, Cardinals ownerFred Saigh was convicted of tax evasion. Facing almost certain banishment from baseball, he put the Cardinals up for sale. When Busch got word that Saigh was considering selling the team to interests who would move the team toHouston, he decided to have Anheuser-Busch get into the bidding in order to keep the Cardinals in St. Louis.[16]
Ultimately, Anheuser-Busch bought the Cardinals for $3.75 million–somewhat less than what Saigh was being offered by the Houston suitors. It has long been believed that Busch convinced Saigh that civic pride was more important than money.[16] In truth, according to Anheuser-Busch biographerWilliam Knoedelseder, Saigh's first preference had been to sell to local buyers. Busch had been the first credible buyer who was willing to keep the team in town.[17]
As chairman, president or CEO of the Cardinals from the time the club was purchased by the brewery in 1953 until his death, Busch oversaw a team that won sixNational League pennants (1964, 1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, and 1987) and three World Series (1964,1967 and1982).
Although the Cardinals were the dominant baseball team in St. Louis, they did not own their own ballpark. Since 1920, they had rentedSportsman's Park from theSt. Louis Browns of theAmerican League. Shortly after buying the Cardinals, Busch bought and extensively renovated the park, renaming it Busch Stadium (but only after a failed attempt to rename it as Budweiser Stadium). The team played there untilBusch Memorial Stadium was built in the middle of the 1966 season.[18]
In 1984, the Cardinals retired a number, 85, in Busch's honor, which was his age at the time.
AfterGussie Busch diedin 1989, thebrewery took primary control of the Cardinals.[19] Former Cardinal catcher and third basemanJoe Torre replacedWhitey Herzog as managerlate in the 1990 season after he unexpectedly resigned.[20][21] Despite an in-season trade to theOakland A's that season, outfielderWillie McGee attained the requisite number of plate appearances to win his secondNL batting title with the Cardinals at .335, making him the only player towin a batting title and end the same season in the other Major League.[22] McGee's batting title was the main highlight in a season where the Cardinals finished last in thedivision (70–92, .432 winning percentage). It was the first occurrence that they finished last in the standings since1918 (52–78, .395 winning percentage), when they finishedlast in the NL when the two leagues had not yet been split into divisions.[23] However, theAtlanta Braves finished with the worst record in the NL (65–97, .401 winning percentage)in 1990.[24] Thus, the Cardinals have avoided finishing last in the entire league every year since 1918, the longest such streak in Major League history and the 1990 season is still their only last place finish in their division.[25]
Starting the next season, the Cardinals commenced a period of playing above expectations and continued a reputation of defensive excellence. Torre's teams won 83 or more games each season in1991,1992 and1993.[25]ShortstopOzzie Smith, a fan favorite due to his acrobatics, smooth glove and powerful arm, set several defensive records, including the single-season record for fewesterrors at shortstop (8) in 1991.[26] He also set career marks at his position games played in 1993,assists (July 14, 1994), anddouble plays (1,554 on September 15, 1995), and won theGold Glove every year from1982 to1992 with the Cardinals.[26][27] The accolades did not stop with Smith, however. Between1978 and 1992, St. Louis wererepresented with at least oneGold Glove winner each year.[26][28] On September 7,1993,Mark Whiten launchedfour home runs in the second game of adoubleheader against theCincinnati Reds to go with 12 RBIs, both tyingall-time single-game records.[26][29]
In an effort to enhance stock value,Anheuser-Busch (AB) surprisedSt. Louis by announcing the Cardinals were for sale. They simultaneously announced plans to close abrewery inTampa Bay and sell off theirEagle Snacks division. However, AB were resolute in their efforts to keep the Cardinals from moving out of St. Louis by selling the team only in a package deal withBusch Memorial Stadium.[19] As a middle market metropolitan area, had AB not moved to create measures to keep the team in St. Louis, chances are they may have been moved to a larger market. AB sold the team at an undervalued price to a partnership headed by Southwest Bank's Drew Baur, Fred Hanser andWilliam DeWitt, Jr. in December 1995. DeWitt has a long track record in baseball, commencing with his father,Bill DeWitt, who once worked for former Cardinalsgeneral manager (GM)Branch Rickey andowned theSt. Louis Browns. DeWitt himself was aminority owner of theTexas Rangers and actively participated with the baseball clubs on which the elder DeWitt served.[30] Hired during the AB era, the new ownership retained Jocketty.[31]
As with other periods of the Cardinals' transaction history, doubt loomed as to whether the purchaser would keep the team in St. Louis, due to the city's status as a "small market," which appear to handicap a club's competitiveness. Such was the case whenSam Breadon sold the Cardinals in 1947:then-NL PresidentFord Frick had proposed to Breadon the idea of moving the Cardinals toChicago.[32] When AB placed the Cardinals for sale in 1995, they publicly expressed intention to find a buyer who would keep the club in St. Louis.[33] In March 1996, AB sold the team for $147 million to a partnership headed by Southwest Bank'sDrew Baur, Hanser and DeWitt Jr.[32] Civic Center Redevelopment, a subsidiary of AB, held the parking garages and adjacent property and also transferred them to the Baur ownership group.[34] Baur's group then sold the garages to another investment group, making the net cost of the franchise purchase about $100 million, making the net purchase price about $10 million less thanFinancial World's value of the team at the time $110 million.[33][35]
CurrentCincinnati Reds ownerBob Castellini and brothers Thomas Williams and W. Joseph Williams Jr. each once owned a stake in the Cardinals dating back to the Baur-DeWitt group's purchase of the team. To allow their purchase of the Reds in 2005, the rest of the group bought out Castellini's and the Williams brothers' shares, totaling an estimated 13%. At that time, theForbes valued the Cardinals at about $370 million.[36] However, after reabsorbing that stake into the remainder of the group, they decided to make it available to new investors in 2010. Amid later allegations that the Cardinals owed the city profit shares, DeWitt revealed that their profitability had not reached the threshold to trigger that obligation.[37]
As of 2013, according toForbes, the Cardinals are the tenth-most valuable franchise of 30 in MLB at $716.2 million, with a revenue of $239 million. They play "in the best single-team baseball market in the country and are among the league's leaders in television ratings and attendance every season."[38] Concurrent with the growth ofMajor League Baseball, the Cardinals value has increased significantly since the Baur-DeWitt purchase. In 2000, the franchise was valued at $219 million,[39] a growth rate of 327%. Since 2012, the franchise's value grew 21%.
| St. Louis Cardinals' financial value since 2009 | |||||
| Year | $ Franchise Value (mil.)1 | $ Revenue (mil.)2 | $ Operating Income (mil.)3 | $ Player Expenses (mil.)4 | Wins-to-player cost ratio5 |
| 2009 | $486 | $195 | $ 7 | $120 | 87 |
| 2010[40] | $488 | $195 | $12.8 | $111 | 100 |
| 2011[41] | $518 | $207 | $19.8 | $110 | 94 |
| 2012[42]TV Money Is A Game Changer For Baseball and The Dodgers (Apr. 9 issue ofForbes) | $591 | $233 | $25.0 | $123 | 116 |
| 2013[43]Baseball Team Valuations 2013: Yankees On Top At $2.3 Billion,Forbes (Mar. 27, 2013) | $716 | $239 | $19.9 | $134 | 102 |
Valuation perForbes.
1 Based on current stadium deal (unless new stadium is pending) without deduction for debt, other than stadium debt.
(2013: Market $291 mil., Stadium $182 mil., Sport $151 mil., Brand Management $91 mil.)
(2012: Market $240 mil., Stadium $157 mil., Sport $119 mil., Brand Management $78 mil.)
(2011: Market $206 mil., Stadium $136 mil., Sport $111 mil., Brand Management $65 mil.)
2 Net of stadium revenues used for debt payments.
3 Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
4 Includes benefits and bonuses.
5 Compares the number of wins per player payroll relative to the rest of MLB. Playoff wins count twice as much as regular season wins. A score of 120 means that the team achieved 20% more victories per dollar of payroll compared with the league average in 2010.
† | Member of theBaseball Hall of Fame |
|---|---|
| Tenure | Tenure refers to MLB seasons, not necessarily dates hired and fired |
| Principal franchise owners showing eras of ownership | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | Ref(s) |
| Chris von der Ahe | 1882–1898 | |
| Frank Robison &Stanley Robison | 1899–1908 | |
| Stanley Robison | 1909–1911 | |
| Helene Hathaway Britton | 1911–1916 | |
| The Cardinal Idea | 1917–1919 | |
| Sam Breadon | 1920–1947β | |
| Robert E. Hannegan &Fred Saigh | 1948 | |
| Fred Saigh | 1949–1952 | |
| Gussie Busch | 1953–1989 | |
| Anheuser-Busch | 1989–1995 | |
| William DeWitt Jr. | 1996–present | |
The president typically reports direct to the owner in the case where the two positions were not held by the same person.
| List of presidents and their eras | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | Ref(s) |
| Branch Rickey | 1919–1920 | |
| Sam Breadon | 1920–1947 | |
| Gussie Busch | 1953–1989 | |
| Fred Kuhlmann | 1989–1991 | |
| Stuart Meyer | 1992–1994 | |
| Mark Lamping | 1994–2008 | |
| Bill DeWitt III | 2008–present | |
| List of presidents of baseball operations and their eras | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | Ref(s) |
| John Mozeliak | 2017–2025 | |
| Chaim Bloom | 2025–present | |
A total of 14general managers have served for the Cardinals.Branch Rickey was the Cardinals' first official GM – however, his role initially called for him to function more as abusiness manager – as he pioneered certain functions attributed to the contemporary GM, such as developing the forerunner of theminor leaguefarm system that all Major League Baseball franchises use today. Rickey is also the longest-tenured GM in franchise history with 23 years. Notable Cardinals who have served as GM but gained their notoriety through other roles while with the Cardinals include formeroutfielderStan Musial andmanagerWhitey Herzog. Rickey,William Walsingham Jr., Musial,Joe McDonald,Walt Jocketty and Mozeliak each won at least oneWorld Series as Cardinals GM. Rickey won the most with four.Hall of Fame inductees who have served as GM for the Cardinals include Herzog, Musial, and Rickey.
| List of general managers and their eras | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | Ref(s) |
| Branch Rickey† | 1919–1942 | |
| William Walsingham Jr. | 1942–1953 | |
| Richard A. Meyer | 1953–1955 | |
| Frank Lane | 1955–1957 | |
| Bing Devine | 1957–1964, 1967–1978 | |
| Bob Howsam | 1964–1967 | |
| Stan Musial† | 1967 | |
| John Claiborne | 1978–1980 | |
| Whitey Herzog† | 1980–1982 | |
| Joe McDonald | 1982–1984 | |
| Dal Maxvill | 1984–1994 | |
| Walt Jocketty | 1994–2007 | |
| John Mozeliak | 2007–2017 | |
| Mike Girsch | 2017–2024 | |
'St. Louis fans are the best in baseball. They have been generous in support of the Cardinals and indeed of Anheuser-Busch. It is our objective that they continue to be able to enjoy Cardinals baseball well into the future,' ... saidchief communications officer John Jacob.
He succeeded in winning a batting title in one league and making it into the playoffs in another. So from that standpoint, nobody in history ever had a success story like Willie McGee's.