In the midst of financial instability, the St. Louis Cardinals have settled their contract, at least for the foreseeable future. This morning, the organization announced a multi-year agreement with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, formerly Bally Sports Midwest. FanDuel reached an agreement with Diamond Sports Group in October to take over their networks.
The specifics of this new agreement with the Cardinals are still unknown, but it does feature a direct-to-consumer streaming option for local fans for the first time.
How does this deal affect the Cardinals?
This deal reduces some of the club’s financial instability, although it does not provide the Cardinals with as much revenue as the prior deal with Diamond Sports Group. Unfortunately, supporters can still expect the team’s payroll to decrease in 2025, as front-office executives and ownership stated at the end-of-season press conference in October.
Bottom line, the Cardinals now have a much better idea of what their revenue will look like in 2025 and for however long this multi-year partnership lasts, which means the club should have certainty about what their payroll will be next year and can go full steam ahead with whatever moves they want to make this offseason.
How does this deal affect Cardinals fans?
However, for fans who still want to see Cardinals baseball in 2025, this new arrangement should make things much easier. Fans in the St. Louis area who have FanDuel Sports Network Midwest on their cable subscriptions should continue to be able to watch Cardinals games. However, fans who do not want to pay exorbitant cable membership fees simply to watch Cardinals games will have access to a monthly streaming service. Pricing is yet to be determined, but the St. Louis Blues charge $20 a month through FanDuel Midwest, so expect a comparable pricing. Finally, fans outside of the St. Louis market will be able to watch broadcasts via MLBTV’s league-wide access.
Finally, the Cardinals’ arrangement with FanDuel does not significantly improve their uncertain long-term financial status, but fans in the St. Louis area should expect broadcasts to become considerably more accessible in the future.
