The St. Louis Cardinals have made at least two changes to their major league coaching staff, multiple league sources said The athlete on Monday. Former Cardinal and 2011 World Series champion Jon Jay will join Oli Marmol's staff, while longtime coach and Cardinal Hall of Famer Willie McGee will step down from coaching and join the front office in an advisory role.

The changes come shortly after the Cardinals decided not to renew hitting coach Turner Ward's contract.

Jay, 39, spent the first six years of his 12-year playing career with St. Louis, where he played a key role on the 2011 World Series team and the 2013 National League championship team. He spent the last two seasons as the Miami Marlins' first base coach under former Cardinal Skip Schumaker. The Marlins laid off over 70 employees at the end of the regular season and made both Jay and Schumaker free agents.

Jay will follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Daniel Descalso, who joined Marmol's staff as a reserve coach prior to the 2024 season. Descalso, along with pitching coach Dusty Blake, first base coach Stubby Clapp and third base coach Pop Warner will all return in 2025. Assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen will also return despite Ward's firing.

McGee, 65, made the decision to step down from his role as assistant coach at the end of the season. He has been on the major league roster for the last seven seasons, but will now assume a similar role to the one he had before becoming a coach. McGee will be a special assistant to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak and will assist with instruction in both the major and minor leagues, including spring training.

The Cardinals are expected to make additional hires in the coming weeks, including a new hitting coach. St. Louis is also close to naming a new assistant general manager who will oversee a major overhaul of player development in the minors. The Cardinals could also hire a new farm director; It's unclear whether the organization would prefer to keep the two jobs separate or combine the roles into one position.

(Photo by Jon Jay: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)