Jim Edmonds, St. Louis Cardinals’ all-time great outfielder, expressed his displeasure with the organization in a radio broadcast on Monday. Edmonds spent eight seasons with the Cardinals, winning the World Series in 2006. He has spent the past 12 seasons in the broadcast booth for the Cardinals’ television coverage. That role is also coming to an end; he will not return to the booth for the 2025 season.
Jim Edmonds Parts Ways with the Broadcast
Since 2013, Edmonds has provided studio coverage and color commentary for Fox Sports Midwest and Bally Sports Midwest. The new broadcaster, FanDuel Sports Network, verified media speculations that Edmonds will not return in 2025.
“Jim Edmonds will not appear on our St. Louis Cardinals telecasts this season. We’d like to thank Jim for his many contributions to our Cardinals coverage over the last ten seasons and wish him the best,” the network said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
In a radio interview with ESPN 101 in St. Louis, Edmonds stated that he has no plans to return to the booth. Saying that the parting of ways was mutual.
“It’s pretty much perfect,” Edmonds said of the call with the network to end their relationship. “It made me quite delighted with my decision. I probably hung on for a year or two too long.
Edmonds questioned various aspects of the program during his radio appearance on Monday, including a lack of communication from superiors and technological concerns. His main problem, however, was with the speed of the modern game and how it is aired now.
“It’s total chaos,” Edmonds explained. “The game is moving so rapidly right now that there isn’t even time to communicate. They do not need two individuals in the booth. It’s only commercials after commercials. “It is not the same anymore.”
Criticism of the Organization
Edmonds is a Cardinals Hall of Famer. He spent eight seasons with the Cardinals. During that span, he won six Gold Glove Awards, made the All-Star Team three times, finished in the top five of MVP vote twice, and won the National League Pennant twice — once in 2004 and again in 2006.
In a nearly hour-long radio interview, Edmonds discussed how things were different when he played for the team vs now. He stated that former players were invited to return and offer advise after they retired. He says he is discouraged by this practice.
“It’s not the same organization, it’s not fun to be around, they make it pretty obvious,” Edmonds told me. “They simply don’t invite us down there anymore. It’s an entirely different environment. And it makes you feel unappreciated, unwelcome, and unneeded.
Edmonds claims that other former players feel the same way. He mentioned a time when a current player begged the team to bring Mark McGwire to Spring Training two years ago, and the management declined.
“They don’t make you feel like you’re wanted to be around the stadium,” Edmonds told me.
Murky Future with the Cardinals
Edmonds stated in his interview that he still respected the team’s ownership and current management, especially manager Oliver Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. However, he is undecided whether he will attend events such as Opening Day or the Cardinals Hall of Fame Ceremony.
“I think I’m done,” Edmonds remarked. “I don’t want to be one of those guys that just hangs around the stadium and signs autographs for the rest of my life.”
When asked if one of the former players had brought up the feeling of estrangement from the organization, Edmonds replied he had done so with both ownership and management.
“I’ve finished it. “Nobody cares,” Edmonds stated. “I’m not down on the organization; it’s just not the organization that I played for with the people and the history in your face every day.”
Despite this, Edmonds stated that he was not bitter about the incident.
“I’m glad and thankful. “I just woke up one day and decided it was time to move on,” Edmonds explained.
FanDuel Sports Network has not yet announced their whole broadcast team for the 2025 season. So far, the Cardinals organization has not responded to Edmonds’ interview.
