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It was a messy exit for Jim Edmonds from the Cardinals’ television booth this offseason, as on the way out he called the broadcast operation “total chaos� and added that the team doesn’t “make you feel like you’re wanted,� although he showed up to be honored at the home opener last week.

But beginning next week, Mark Sweeney, who will be taking over Edmonds’ role of serving as analyst on about 40 game telecasts this season and working as a studio commentator for about the same number of games, sure doesn’t feel unwelcome. He joined the Cards TV team last season on a limited basis on the pregame/postgame shows, and when he was offered the expanded role this year, he jumped.

“I was thrilled,� said Sweeney — like Edmonds, a former Cardinals player although not nearly as accomplished.

Sweeney, a first baseman and outfielder, broke into the majors with the Cards in 1995 and was with them until being traded to San Diego two years later. He ended up playing for seven teams across a 14-year big league run.

While he was a nomad as a player, he settled into a stable broadcasting career after leaving the field. He was a game and studio commentator for San Diego Padres games for 13 years but was dropped before last season began as part of the fallout from the collapse of the team’s regional sports network. So he was ecstatic to be added to the Cards’ crew for a small slice of games last year.

“I didn’t really know what I was going to get into because things kind of fell apart in San Diego,â€� Sweeney, 55, said. “So getting those 40 games or so I did last year, I was so excited. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, going back to where it all started, was like a full-circle moment for me. I was thrilled to just be a part of that. Coming into this year, I was hoping that I was going to do the same things. I really enjoyed all the people I worked with — Scott (Warmann), Alexa (Datt), all the people behind the scenes. It was kind of a seamless entry into doing it again somewhere else, which isn’t always the case.â€�

Expanded role

Although Sweeney was grateful for the studio opportunity in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ last season, he was interested in having game commentary added to his duties.

“I really like to do games solely because I just enjoy doing different types of things,� he said. “I like the variety of doing pre/post (game shows) and also games. Studios are different from games I feel very comfortable (with both). I’m blessed they gave me an opportunity to do this.�

Brad Thompson remains the primary TV game analyst, with about 110 games, and that suits Sweeney perfectly.

“I’m never looking to be the No. 1 guy,� he said. “It’s just a grind for a season. To be able to mesh different styles ... especially with the (studio) shows, I think it’s a great perspective to get� varying voices. “There’s a lot of value to that.�

Unlike Edmonds, who joined what now is FanDuel Sports Network’s telecasts without baseball broadcasting experience (and complained on the way out about the lack of direction he received), Sweeney has had a wealth of time on the air. His resume includes calling games and working in the studio for Fox, which he will do again this season on occasion.

He broke into the business as an analyst alongside legendary play-by-play broadcaster Dick Enberg, who called Padres games late in his career.

“I’d do spring training games with him, go back to my hotel and turn on ESPN Classic and there he was doing a Super Bowl,� Sweeney said. “The reality of that is I had to grow up fairly fast� as a broadcaster.

With the Cardinals, he’ll be working with another seasoned play-by-play voice: Chip Caray. They have know each other for a long time and got started as boothmates by being paired for a spring training game.

“Such a great teammate,� Caray said. “He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever want to be around, and obviously he brings a world and wealth of baseball experience with all the different teams he’s played with including the Cardinals. He understands the importance of the big moment as a pinch hitter getting ready for that one swing of the bat, that one moment that makes the difference in a win loss in a ballgame. He gets that, and he’s put together a terrific career behind the microphone.�

Edmonds made it known that he evidently had had enough of the job, and his bosses apparently had had enough of him, too. Edmonds said he wasn’t sure that he wanted to come back and when he told that to his boss the reply was, “We don’t know if we’re going to have you back.â€� So Edmonds was happy to leave in order to spend more time with his family at their home in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and on a farm in Tennessee.

“Jim is very content, at peace, with where he is in his life, and that’s amazing,� Caray said. “And in his stead, we’re really really lucky to have a person of Mark’s caliber not only available to do it but has the talent to take the job and run with it. So I’m really lucky to work with both Brad and and Mark, and we’re going to have a fun year together.

“I think (Sweeney) has hit the ground running, and I hope he feels as comfortable as we all do with him.�

Getting going

Sweeney is scheduled to make his studio debut this season for the Cards’ series beginning Monday in Pittsburgh, then begin his game-commentator role in a series against Philadelphia next weekend.

He’s eager for that and anticipates a bond quickly developing in the booth. He and Caray were together for one of the three spring training games Sweeney worked and said they already were meshing.

“Being around Chip for a week in Florida, it’s just seamless because he’s a great listener, he’s great at what he does and I get to be myself,� Sweeney said.

“I’m really grateful to the people putting me in this (job). I do understand that Cardinals fans are very different, and I love that. I love the fact they kind of grew me up in the game as a player. ... They appreciate people putting in work. That’s the way I’ve always taken everything I’ve done. They’ve kind of nurtured me through this game, and now, hopefully with a little patience, they’ll understand it’s a different voice. But it’s going to be a fun time.�

Opening up

The television rating for the Cardinals home (and season) opener last week increased over the number for last year. But that’s not saying a whole lot.

According to viewership-tracking firm Nielsen, 8.6% of the market tuned in for FanDuel Sports Network’s telecast of the game Thursday against Minnesota, an 8% increase over the 7.5 rating in 2024. However, the figure last year was the 23-year low for the club’s home opener. In 2023, the rating was 10.6.

TV viewership for the game Thursday was 110,000 people, up from 94,000 for last season’s home opener but short of the 136,000 from 2023 and 145,000 from 2022.

With the club and FanDuel selling the telecasts directly to fans this year for the first time (no subscription now necessary to a programming distributor that carries FanDuel), the network reports that the streaming audience increased 104%, amounting to 4.4 million minutes streamed — a 162% rise from last year’s home opener.

However, the number of standalone streaming subscriptions sold has not been released.