Former outfielder Jon Jay has joined the Cardinals coaching staff

As the Cardinals begin to finalize the club’s leadership on and off the field for the upcoming season and prepare for what has been described as a new direction and a younger roster, they remain true to the trend of bringing back familiar faces to help guide players. .

Jon Jay, a World Series champion with the Cardinals, will join manager Oliver Marmol’s coaching staff, a source close to the team said.

Jay spent the past two seasons on Skip Schumaker’s staff in Miami as first base coach and outfield coach.

The Cardinals have not yet confirmed the hire because the agreement and details of Jay’s role have not yet been finalized, according to multiple sources. An announcement could come as soon as this week.

Jay, 39, was the Cardinals’ 2006 second-round pick out of the University of Miami. He became a fixture in the Majors in 2011, playing his way into a starting job in the outfield and facilitating a midseason trade of center fielder Colby Rasmus. That deal helped catapult the Cardinals toward their World Series championship, and in 159 games that season, Jay hit .297 with a .344 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging percentage.

He scored seven points in the Cardinals’ six-game NLCS victory against Milwaukee.

Jay spent six seasons with the Cardinals before playing six other seasons with six other teams: the Diamondbacks, Padres, Cubs, Royals, White Sox and Angels. In twelve big league seasons, he had a .283/.348/.373 triple slash.

Jay has been a close friend of returning Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descasso since their playing days as prospects in the Cardinals system and then as key members of postseason-bound teams.

During widespread layoffs within the Major League staff and baseball operations in Miami, Jay was one of the coaches who approached the club about remaining with the Marlins. While in Miami, Jay built on his reputation within the game for his instruction and ability to connect with players – elements of the mentor role he had during the final days of his playing career.

The Cardinals are also working to complete key hires ahead of the MLB general manager meetings in early November. The Cardinals are looking at coaching candidates after opting not to renew Turner Ward’s contract when it expires at the end of this season. Other Marmol staff members had contracts through the 2025 season.

The Cardinals are also nearing a hire for a new position at the assistant general manager level, a position they have advertised as overseeing player development. That role will work with advisor Chaim Bloom to upgrade and update the team’s player development program and infrastructure in the year prior to Bloom’s transition to president of baseball operations.

The farm director position is open after Gary LaRocque retires after a 12-year term overseeing the system. The Cardinals also have other hires planned for the farm system.