Its been another disappointing season for the Cardinals and their fans one that has manifested in manners not previously seen at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals announced over the weekend that the season-long attendance clocked in at 2.8 million fans. , that marks the first time since Busch Stadium III opened in 2006 that the Cards have sold fewer than three million tickets in a season. Jones adds that the Cardinals are expected to host an end-of-season pre s conference as soon as next Monday, writing that staffing changes which stretch from the front office to the dugout are likely to be announced. Theres no firm indication yet that president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, general manager Mike Girsch or manager Oli Marmol are on the chopping block, but theres been ample speculation regarding Mozeliaks future recently. Hes signed through the 2025 season. that its time for chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. to make a change and move on from Mozeliak the longest-tenured baseball J.r. Richard Jersey ops leader in the NL (and second-longest in the sport, behind Yankees GM Brian Cashman). that former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, whom the Cardinals hired as a senior adviser this past offseason, would have a larger role in baseball operations next year and could even overtake the top spot on the baseball operations hierarchy. Hochman suggests a similar outcome, calling Bloom a natural succe sor to Mozeliak. As rumblings of changes up the ladder mount, there are players in the clubhouse hoping for some continuity. Right-hander that he hopes the Cardinals pick up his $12MM option for the 2025 season rather than pay the $1MM buyout and send him back to free agency. Gibson could command similar or perhaps even greater earnings on the open market after a season in which hes pitched 165 2/3 innings of 4.13 ERA ball with a 20.8% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 44.8% grounder rate. However, Gibson is a Mi souri native who starred for the University of Mi souri in college and makes his offseason home in the St. Louis area. Goold lays out that Gibson has not only performed well on the field but taken up a key leadership role in the clubhouse. Hes rarely mi sed bullpen se sions for young pitchers and has been a mentor for , and others. The catching corps has cited Gibson as a huge part of the teams game-planning, even for games hes not pitching. Readers can check out Goolds piece for a fascinating self-analysis from Gibson on a mistake he made to in his most recent appearance. The breakdown makes it easy to quickly glean the thoughtful approach Gibson takes to his opponents and see how his experience could benefit those around him particularly younger pitchers and catchers. The Cardinals have , , and all signed through next season. Gibson and fellow righty have 2025 club options on their contracts. Of the two, Gibson seems likelier to have his option exercised. Keeping Gray, Mikolas, Gibson, Fedde and Matz would give the Cards a veteran quintet on which to lean. In-house names like Pallante, , and (among others) would be waiting in the wings should injuries or continued struggles from Mikolas and/or Matz prompt changes. Like Gibson, righty is open to a St. Louis reunion. The 34-year-old setup man is a pure free agent and doesnt have an option on his contract, but he would definitely be interested in coming back. Though the teams results havent been what the clubhouse hoped, its not for any lack of effort in the clubhouse, Kittredge says: I dont have anything negative to say about any player in this clubhouse. Everyone comes to play every day, and I like to be a part of teams like that. The Cards reportedly about a re-signing him. The right-hander set a Cardinals franchise record when he secured his 36th hold of the season recently. Hes posted a terrific 2.93 ERA with sharp strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates of 23.2%, 7.2% and 44.4%, respectively. Hes not throwing quite as hard as he did prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery with the Rays, but Kittredges 94.7 mph average sinker still has plenty of life, even if its down nearly a mile per hour from peak levels. Jake Meyers Jersey