I have not felt the Cardinals have been trying to compete for nearly a decade.
IMO nearly a decade seems to be too lengthy of a time but certainly since the departures of Pujols-Molina-Wainwright you seem to be correct. It also seems that the contributors here take money matters very seriously in regards to payroll. There are references to “low hanging fruit” and concerns about the “cap” in a negative way. It is what the state of the organization has com to. The state of having a non-competitive team is something that is very hard to swallow.
The best solution for a quick turnaround would be to change ownership because DeWitt will continue to scrimp until the minor leagues can support any costly acquisitions. How many seasons can that take is presently anyone’s guess.