John Mozeliak opens up about St. Louis Cardinals offseason plans

With the Baseball Winter Meetings looming, St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak opened up about the Cardinals’ offseason activities and planning.

Chris Carpenter had already made known his plans not to return to the front office. Mozeliak opened up on the retired pitcher’s role this past season. Carpenter never had a set role but worked in various areas relating to operations, scouting, and development.

"“Frankly, when we go out and hire ex-players for the Cardinals, a lot of times it’s a developmental opportunity,” Mozeliak said. “We try not to necessarily have a set job description where we’re very stern in keeping to it. We’re open-minded. We know this is an adjustment for players after they’re done playing. All these things are something that’s very fluid, but we’re trying to find the right fits for their talents and how they can help our organization.”"

Former closer Jason Isringhausen is expected to increase his role next season according to Jennifer Langosch.

The Cardinals have upgraded the infield depth in advance of the Winter Meetings in San Diego but this doesn’t mean that they won’t be taking advantage of opportunities. The team would still like a power bat off the bench that could platoon at first base with Matt Adams.

Mozeliak also will not rule out restructuring John Lackey‘s contract for next season. His team option is $500,000 from his 2009 contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The minor league staffs are expected to be announced next week.