Cardinals' John Mozeliak ranked among offseason's biggest losers

John Mozeliak's swan song has gotten off to an inauspicious start, as the St. Louis Cardinals' lack of activity in the 2024-2025 offseason to this point hasn't reflected well on the team's president of baseball operations, who is in his last season in the role. The national media have also taken note of the Cardinals' idleness, as Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) named Mozeliak among the offseason's six "biggest losers" so far.

Bowman's logic for placing Mozeliak on his list was the Cardinals' failure to make any major league moves to this point in the offseason, as well as the team's inability to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado while offloading a majority of his remaining contract.

The Cardinals' main offseason goal was to deal Arenado, whose no-trade clause complicated matters by allowing him to reject trades to organizations not to his liking. Arenado has already spurned a potential trade to the Houston Astros, and in a moment of candor on the radio station KMOX, Mozeliak expressed a pang of regret for his previous comments about how he thought an Arenado trade was likely to take place.

If the Cardinals fail to move Arenado, not only will their offseason goal be stifled, but their aim to see what they have in younger players will be affected, as Arenado's presence will force an otherwise everyday player to a bench role and cost other players precious plate appearances, potentially stunting their development.

Mozeliak has also not made a peep in free agency or added to the major league roster to this point in the offseason, with the Cardinals' only moves coming as waiver claims of pitchers Roddery Munoz and Bailey Horn, who are likely to serve as organizational depth. Mozeliak has said that the Cardinals are still on the market, particularly for a relief pitcher and a right-handed bat, but the free agent pool is shrinking by the day.

It's difficult to argue with Bowden's opinion on Mozeliak given the club's silence over the winter. Mozeliak was once among the most respected front office members in the sport, but as his admitted mistake regarding Arenado signifies, the league has passed him by. If the Cardinals don't start chirping soon, he will be departing the front office with an incredibly low approval rating.