The St. Louis Cardinals have no plans for the winter. While John Mozeliak attended the GM Meetings and will undoubtedly attend the Winter Meetings in Texas, he has already lowered expectations for the front office as it shifts away from major free-agent acquisitions and toward long-term planning.
To be honest, St. Louis has a lot of youthful talent, like Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson, among others. If Jordan Walker can get out of his own way, he might be able to hit like the top prospect the Cardinals once dreamed he was. But there is no fooling Mozeliak or Cardinals supporters. This squad ended double-digit games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and is voluntarily becoming worse this offseason.
Mozeliak anticipates some difficult questions from supporters before to spring training. Cardinals fans are among the most enthusiastic in the sport. They plan to win every year, but have not made the playoffs since 2022. What’s going on?
John Mozeliak let his own timeline get in the way of Cardinals success
“I believe that in recent years, we have been focused on where we can squeeze a little more out of the fruit, rather than attempting to extract a little more for payroll. The timing of my situation has changed over the last several years, and it’s now time to reset and try to reposition us for another big run,” Mozeliak told The Athletic.
The most worrying aspect of this revelation is not that the Cardinals are considering putting a lesser product on the field next year – while that is troubling in and of itself – but that Mozeliak allowed his own career path to interfere with roster composition. While Mozeliak is human, seeing him say such a thing out loud is startling, and it serves as an indictment of his efforts over the last five years.
“Our team is not going to look all that different,” Mozeliak said. “As we navigate the next four to eight weeks, our focus will be on how we can improve our club or our future. How does that look like? We will find methods to give our younger players an opportunity to play and show what they can do.”
Chaim Bloom will take over as President of Baseball Operations in 2025. With that plan in place, Bloom should have the last say on whatever moves the Cardinals make this winter, or face the repercussions in a year’s time.
