During the St. Louis Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up a few weeks ago, team owners Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III were asked about what the franchise’s ownership might look like in the future. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat posed the question directly to both members of the DeWitt family, seeking clarity on the long-term stewardship of the organization. Bill DeWitt Jr., now 84, did not hesitate in his response.
“Our family has been in baseball a long time, and I think it will continue. I mean that’s the plan,” said DeWitt Jr. “Obviously I’m getting to an age where I’m not going to be around forever. Bill (DeWitt) III is at a perfect age to continue on for a long time, so that’s our goal. We’re baseball people, and the third generation here, probably a fourth underneath him coming along somewhere, so we’re here.”
That message sends a clear signal to Cardinals fans that the current ownership group has no plans to step away anytime soon. From a business standpoint, the DeWitts’ stance makes sense. Since purchasing the Cardinals in 1995, franchise values across professional sports have skyrocketed. Forbes recently ranked St. Louis as the 11th most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball, underscoring just how lucrative ownership has become.
Still, that has not stopped outside parties from exploring whether the Cardinals might be available.
Missouri native and billionaire David Hoffmann has openly expressed interest in buying the Cardinals should the opportunity arise. Hoffmann, who hails from Washington, Missouri, recently finalized his purchase of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and has made it clear that adding a baseball team is next on his agenda. Acquiring the Cardinals would align his business ambitions with his home-state roots.
Hoffmann, 73, addressed those ambitions publicly. “What we plan to do is buy (the Penguins franchise), pay it off and buy a baseball team. We’d like that to be the Cardinals,” Hoffmann said at the St. Louis Business Journal’s Advance STL event at the St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch.
After that event, Hoffmann acknowledged the reality of the situation, telling the St. Louis Business Journal that “Everybody tells us no,” when asked whether the Cardinals are available for purchase.
His business interests are vast, spanning agriculture, aviation, financial services, hospitality, industrial manufacturing, marine, media and marketing, professional services, real estate, and transportation. Among his Missouri investments is a winery in Augusta, which he hopes to help transform into a wine destination comparable to Napa Valley.
Hoffmann has pursued major sports franchises before. He finished second in bidding for the St. Louis Blues in 2012, later purchasing the Florida Everblades, a Blues minor-league affiliate. He was also a runner-up bidder when the Carolina Hurricanes were sold in 2021.
Beyond sports, Hoffmann continues to invest heavily in Missouri, including the late-2025 purchase of Lee Enterprises, the parent company of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His winery project and his family’s acquisition of Hoffmann-Hillermann Nursery in Washington further reflect that commitment.
While Missouri is home to several billionaires capable of buying the Cardinals if they ever hit the market, Hoffmann remains the only one to publicly voice interest. For now, however, that interest is purely theoretical, as the DeWitt family has made it clear they are not looking to sell the Cardinals anytime soon.