Jim Edmonds ensured his departure from the St. Louis Cardinals was anything but quiet.
FanDuel Sports Network, the Cardinals’ TV home, confirmed that Edmonds won’t return to their TV broadcast team next season and will not be part of their broadcast moving forward.
After news of his departure surfaced, Edmonds went on ESPN 101’s Morning After, where he didn’t hold back on his reasons for stepping away — or his frustrations with the current state of the Cardinals organization and the game of baseball as a whole.
“This winter, I just told my wife a couple of months ago, ‘I don’t think I’m going to do it anymore. I’m done,'” Edmonds recalled. “… I said, ‘I’m done; I don’t want to do it anymore.’ I can’t imagine going to spring training. I started thinking about what Matt Holliday said when he was going to coach, and he woke up one day and was like, ‘Man, spring training’s four weeks away; I can’t do it.'”
That’s how Edmonds felt.
And his disinterest in returning to the game had been brewing, but a telling phone call from his boss sealed the deal.
“That’s kind of part of it, too. It’s not as much fun being around the stadium anymore,” Edmonds explained. “But as far as TV goes, like I said, a quick story is my boss called me the other day, and I didn’t answer the phone… I called him back the next day, and I said, ‘Hey, Larry, The reason I didn’t answer the phone yesterday was because I really didn’t know what to say about this year — I’m not really sure I’m going to come back. I’m pretty sure that I’m done working.”
It seems the Cardinals weren’t entirely sure if they’d have him back either, making Edmonds’ decision all the more easier.
“It was pretty much perfect, and it made me really happy about my decision,” Edmonds says. “I probably hung on a year or two too long… My personality, I tried to really toe the line. You know me, I was trying not to do anything wrong; I tried to say the right thing, do the right thing. I’m tired of that sh*t… I’m tired of listening to the critics. I’m tired of guessing if I’m doing the right thing or not. I just had enough.”
One of the more colorful analysts in baseball, Edmonds was known for sharing brash opinions, a style many fans enjoyed but one that also garnered controversy at times. Last season, Edmonds’ commentary was criticized after he ranted about Christopher Morel’s home run celebration. And in 2023, Edmonds created controversy during a discussion about Native American team names.
The exit from FanDuel Sports Network is Edmonds’ second TV departure in recent years, with the former MLB All-Star previously making appearances on The Real Housewives of Orange County, which featured his ex-wife Meghan King. Edmonds and King divorced in 2021.
“It’s total chaos. People working every day; they don’t know where they’re supposed to be,” he said. “Can’t get mics to work, TV doesn’t work, replay don’t work. You know, the game is fast right now; you don’t even have time to talk. They don’t need two people in the booth. It’s just commercial after commercial… It’s not the same anymore, and it definitely took a toll on just the fun part of it.”
After a lengthy detour, Edmonds finally returned to the topic of spring training, though it wasn’t the core of his decision.
“I haven’t gone to spring training in the last couple of years; it’s not fun anymore,” Edmonds adds. “The baseball, they don’t make you feel like you’re wanted to be around the stadium… But, somehow, it’s just not the same. It’s not the same organization. It’s not fun to be around.”
