For many years the St. Louis Cardinals would mystify front-office executives of other teams by consistently hitting the jackpot with later-round draft picks, low-key trades, and low-cost but high-value free agent signings. These successful sleight of hand moves frustrated opponents and confused media people. How do the Cardinals continue to do this? What do they see in a player that other teams can't see? Why do players go to St. Louis after playing elsewhere and suddenly get better? This became known as "Devil Magic," and the Cardinals had it in abundance.
But in recent years, the Cardinals have lost the touch. And now we have seen a "reverse" Devil Magic set in ... with other teams collecting players/pitchers that stalled or failed in St. Louis, only to thrive in a new environment. The Cardinals are on the wrong end of Devil Magic and only have themselves to blame for letting the high standards fall, the culture collapse, and the leadership weaken. In this video, I offer several theories to explain what went wrong. Thanks for watching.
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