3 reasons the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans have for being thankful

John Mozeliak held a press conference at Busch Stadium on Tuesday in which he officially announced the signings of Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn and promised further movement still to come in the offseason.

The St. Louis Cardinals, by his estimation, had to jump on their innings gap as quickly as possible, and both Gibson and Lynn expressed a desire to pitch in St. Louis.

All these new Thanksgiving sales really do tend to take the excitement out of Black Friday.

Assuming the Cardinals are hunkering down for a brief holiday hibernation – the sparsely attended press conference on one of the busiest travel days of the year affected many people, this reporter included – fans will gather around holiday tables with the bitter taste of a failed season still fresh in their mouths.

The veteran pitching additions of the last two days may not be sufficient to clear that out, but they’re not without purpose. And they do carry specific characteristics which ought to give fans specific things for which they can be thankful.

1. Your angry uncle has something benign to be angry about.

No one looks forward to the uncomfortable holiday conversations with rarely seen members of the family who are entirely forthright in their being incorrect, but in many cases, they’re inevitable. So many of those things cut deep and personal and can be hurtful. It’s a lot more fun when it’s about baseball.

If that member of your family follows baseball, you can happily nod along with them at dinner. Yes, Gibson and Lynn are closer to the ends of their careers than the beginnings. No, neither had a particularly strong year last year. Yes, you too are curious whether the Cardinals are going to find more to do with themselves this winter.

Best not get too deep into the weeds about potential improvements or offseason optimism, though. No sense ruining a good rant.

2. Leadership matters, and has arrived.

The collective roll of eyes which accompanied dissection of the clubhouse impacts that the two starters and new bench coach Daniel Descalso might have was substantial. They did not, however, come from inside the four walls. There were missing voices in 2023, and more have since shuffled out.

Paul Goldschmidt carries force and authority and is more than capable of making himself heard, but his default is more measured. Nolan Arenado burns white hot, but usually turns it inward; his work ethic is admirable, but he’s not frequently the vocal leader around whom players rally. Willson Contreras will surely grow into that in his second season, but his awkward treatment from the team and his desire to find footing in a new place limited some of his opportunities.

Lynn will come in with presence and authority, and working institutional knowledge of what made the Cardinals go when they went the way fans expect. Descalso brings the same, as well as a strong personal connection to Goldschmidt and recent experience between the lines. Gibson is well respected and has pre-existing ties to many in the organization, but he’s a set of fresh eyes with a great deal of experience in a wide variety of situations. He’s seen and done most everything baseball has to offer, and that perspective is incredibly valuable.

3. Community matters, and the Cardinals have not lost sight of that.

Adam Wainwright’s retirement not only saw the last in-uniform Cardinals World Series Champion walk out the door (since remedied by Lynn’s arrival), but it also severed a strong emotional tie to St. Louis that was crafted over decades of strong performance and selfless good works. His receipt of the Roberto Clemente Award is perhaps the crowning achievement of a career that does not lack for achievements.

Gibson is the Vice President of Big League Impact, the charitable organization Wainwright founded. He makes his offseason home in St. Louis and has been involved in events here for years, including distributing equipment and goods to people in need in the winter of 2020 during an event at which no Cardinals players made an appearance.

Few players make their year-round homes in the cities in which they play. There’s too much work to be done in Arizona or Florida, and too much sunshine to deal with the salt and snow. Gibson and Lynn, both of whom understand the city and live nearby, carry those connections. They have value to the players, and they return those feelings back to the people around them.

The winter is not done, as Mozeliak reminded Tuesday’s sparse crowd. There are more transactions to come, and when fans gather for their late December holiday celebrations, they’ll have a much better idea of how much complaining is or isn’t appropriate.

For now, this holiday season, between turkey and pie, take solace in knowing the Cardinals have at least provided something to talk about. For that we can all be thankful, especially when the alternative is watching football.