Adam Wainwright calls out hypocritical Cardinals fans' criticism of John Mozeliak

John Mozeliak has been subjected to a massive amount of flak during his tenure as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations. But once in a great while, that barrage of disapproving comments is replaced with appreciation for a trade that Cardinals fans feel was a massive benefit to their team. It occurred with the Paul Goldschmidt trade. It happened with the Nolan Arenado deal. And at the 2024 trade deadline, fleeting adoration for Mozeliak cropped up again when he acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox in a three-way trade that sent Tommy Edman to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fans all around Cardinals Nation deemed the Fedde trade to be a "fleece" of the White Sox, and with Edman on the injured list at the time and having no clear role when he would return, it appeared to be a straight upgrade to the Cardinals' roster, with Fedde serving as the perfect complement to Gray as a one-two punch atop the rotation.

Fedde performed decently in 2024, owning a 3.72 ERA in 55.2 innings after arriving in St. Louis, but he has not recaptured that success in 2025. Although he showed flashes of dominance, especially in his complete-game shutout on May 9, Fedde has collapsed in his last three starts, allowing 17 runs in 10 innings and striking out only two batters in that time frame.

Many Cardinals supporters have not been pleased with Fedde's recent performance and have aired their grievances on social media about Mozeliak's acquisition of the right-hander.

Former Cardinals star pitcher Adam Wainwright appeared on the local radio station 101 ESPN and reminded fans that those who appreciated Mozeliak for carrying out the Fedde trade can't turn around and decry him for it now.

Wainwright pointed out Cardinals fans' faulty logic.

"Almost everybody in St. Louis was patting Mo on the back, saying 'I can't believe he was able to pull off to get the starter they needed for an injured player.' ... Recently, I've heard nothing but 'I can't believe he would trade Tommy Edman for that.'"

Adam Wainwright

It wasn't just Cardinals fans who were initially over the moon regarding the trade — even the national pundits believed that the Cardinals had gotten away with robbery. In an article for The Athletic (subscription required), Keith Law said "I don’t know how the Cardinals managed to pull this off, but they get a very good and wildly underpaid starter in ($15 million total for 2024-25) plus a decent bench bat while giving up only a single prospect, a 17-year-old pitcher in the DSL named Oliver Gonzalez."

Wainwright noted that while many fans are surprised by the Cardinals' level of success this season, the front office is trying to keep fans' expectations high for future seasons. The trade of Edman, who was on an expiring contract, for a player they hoped could help fortify the rotation was meant to reinforce that idea. It was a well-executed trade that netted the Cardinals what they needed, but hindsight bias has once again not gone Mozeliak's way.

Mozeliak has made his share of missteps throughout his 19-year tenure, but Wainwright's observation should allow some reactionary fans to reflect on their seething hatred of Mozeliak and realize that they can't have their cake and eat it too.