DEAL APPROVED:
Quotes from John Mozeliak support what Cardinals supporters already knew about the St. Louis “reset.”
The St. Louis Cardinals were one of baseball’s greatest offseason losers, and that much is obvious. It appeared that the organization was finally ready to make a change after missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. They broke up an expensive and aging core in favor of getting younger and more adaptable while acquiring assets that could help the team build a foundation for the future.
Rather, none of it materialized: John Mozeliak, the president of St. Louis, essentially sat on his hands after a possible trade involving Nolan Arenado and the Houston Astros was abruptly thwarted. He refused to cut ties with any of the team’s veterans and to add any talent (or payroll) that could help the team compete in the near future. Because of all of this, the Cardinals are currently in the worst possible position—stuck in the middle, with little hope for the future.
And Mozeliak isn’t making things any easier. When questioned recently about his roster at the start of spring training, he appeared just as stuck as his club is at the moment, posing the kinds of questions Cardinals supporters should know he hasn’t the answers to yet.
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John Mozeliak keeps confirming Cardinals fans’ worst fears.
Mozeliak told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, “This club could be good or it could struggle.”
“Obviously, a lot of it simply relies on how individuals perform and step up. Is Jordan Walker a bat with an impact? Is that middle-of-the-order batter Nolan Gorman? Is outfielder Brendan Donovan an All-Star? Does Willson Contreras’ bat become even more lively when he transitions from catcher to first base? Certain things are under scrutiny. However, it may be an entertaining squad to watch if they turn out as we expect.
Once more, Mozeliak’s attention is on the wrong things. That ship sailed a long time ago, from essentially the moment Mozeliak chose to stand down at the end of this season, so the question is not whether this squad will be excellent in 2025. Only what’s best for 2026 should be the emphasis.
With a terrible start to spring training, Nolan Gorman certainly doesn’t appear to be a “middle-of-the-order type hitter” at the moment, indicating that his strikeout issue hasn’t been resolved. It’s strange to think of Donovan as an All-Star outfielder given that his main strength is his defensive flexibility around the diamond and that starting him in the outfield full-time puts Walker, Lars Nootbaar, and Victor Scott II—you know, future building blocks—at danger.
Ultimately, the issue still stands: What is Mozeliak’s precise strategy here? Simply go back and hope for the best in spite of all the evidence, hoping that his players would support him as he leaves? In an attempt to get everyone off his back, Mozeliak seems to have seized upon the notion of a reset at this point.
Beyond that, the picture is still, at best, hazy.
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