Cardinals' Past Dynasty Proves Salary Cap is Not Needed

The St. Louis Cardinals have won 11 World Series titles, but their last two championships essentially came out of nowhere. In 2006, they won just 83 games during the regular season but managed to win a weak National League Central, and the rest is history. In 2011, they won 90 games during the regular season but had to fight back from 10 1/2 games back in the wild card race to even reach the postseason before going on their magic carpet ride.

With a lockout looming in Major League Baseball, it's important to understand what's at stake. Owners want a salary cap because it will seemingly level the playing field and make it easier for other teams to win championships.

However, the Cardinals themselves are proof that this does not need to happen.

Cardinals championships expose loophole in owners' salary cap argument

The Cardinals have rarely been a team to throw a lot of money at top-tier free agents, instead preferring to rely on a draft and develop strategy to produce their own stars. That doesn't mean big trades and signings don't happen, but it's important to note that both the 2006 and 2011 teams weren't built solely on free agency.

In 2006, the core of Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Chris Duncan and Adam Wainwright was formed. Though Wainwright was acquired via trade in 2003, all three players came up through the Cardinals' farm system. Pujols was the NLCS MVP in 2004 and went on to hit 49 home runs in 2006, while Molina had a clutch home run in Game 7 of the '06 NLCS and Wainwright closed out both all three playoff series for St. Louis.

It was even a homegrown pitcher in Anthony Reyes that won Game 1 of the World Series.

The free agent and trade markets were essentially used to supplement that roster rather than to build it.

Fast forward to 2011, and St. Louis had even more homegrown players. Now in the mix were players like Jason Motte, David Freese, Allen Craig, Jon Jay and Jaime Garcia. Freese was the NLCS and World Series MVP, while Motte closed both series and the others played key roles in the championship run.

How does that apply to today, you ask? Well, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a lot of financial flexibility, and in addition to drafting and developing well, they can afford to spend a lot of money in free agency. Owners want a salary cap to make it easier for other teams to combat the Dodgers.

However, when you look at the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011, there was no salary cap. The same rules that are in place today also still applied then, and it's not like the Cardinals didn't spend and trade. David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Jason Isringhausen, Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, Matt Holliday, Rafael Furcal, Jeff Weaver, Jeff Suppan and Lance Berkman were prime examples of that.

But the point is that the Cardinals weren't spending nearly as much as the Dodgers do now, and they were doing quite well for themselves. A lot of teams were outspending them, and that is not only proof that spending money isn't the only way to build a championship contender, but that it is possible for a smaller to mid-market team to win a title without a salary cap.

There was no salary cap in place when the Arizona Diamondbacks won the NL pennant in 2023. They won just 84 games during the regular season. In fact, in 2006 and 2011, the Cardinals beat a lot of teams that were outspending them, including the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.

By all accounts, those were better rosters on paper, but the Cardinals still had the necessary pieces, and a lot of those pieces were drafted and developed and came up through their system. And once again, there was no salary cap.

So, if anything, the Cardinals are proof that a cap and floor system is not required in baseball.

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