The St. Louis Cardinals concluded their 2025 season on Sunday with a 78-84 record. It was the final season under John Mozeliak’s tenure as President of Baseball Operations for the Cardinals. Next season, Chaim Bloom will be in charge of getting the Cardinals back to their winning ways.
There is no doubt that under Mozeliak’s tenure in St. Louis, the Cardinals had sustained success. The Cardinals had 15 consecutive winning seasons from 2008 to 2023, which culminated in ten National League playoff appearances, six National League Central titles, two National League pennants, and, of course, the 2011 World Series title.
Mozeliak drafted two of the franchise’s most significant (and most popular) icons in Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. On Sunday, before the Cardinals’ final game of the regular season against the Chicago Cubs, one of them glowingly praised Mozeliak for his successful tenure in St. Louis.
Yadier Molina has glowing words for John Mozeliak upon the completion of Cardinals’ tenure.
“Thank you for all the memories and everything we went through together ... championships, highs and lows, but always with the same goal - to represent and put St. Louis on top, and you were able to do that.”
— STL Sports Central (@STLSprtsCntrl) September 28, 2025
Yadier Molina shares his thanks for John Mozeliak #STLCards pic.twitter.com/2qfFfHwvS8
Molina and the Cardinals have had an interesting relationship since the 10-time All-Star retired in 2022. Before the 2024 season, Molina was hired as a special assistant to Mozeliak; however, the former catcher never appeared in St. Louis. It was a noticeable absence that raised many questions about Molina’s relationship with Mozeliak and the Cardinals organization.
However, in early August, Molina made a celebrated return to the Cardinals' sideline. According to Oliver Marmol, Molina reached out to Mozeliak and him about returning. It was a sign that there was no animosity between Molina, Mozeliak, and the Cardinals. Bernie Miklasz, writing for STL Sports Central, said that Molina’s absence was due to family reasons, and Mozeliak did what he could to bring Molina back to the Cardinals.
As the Cardinals write a new chapter in their organization’s history with Chaim Bloom at the helm, we must remember that, despite how it ended, Mozeliak brought overall success to the St. Louis Cardinals. For Yadier Molina, arguably the greatest catcher in franchise history, to recognize Mozeliak for his success is a testament to how much the outgoing president meant to the St. Louis Cardinals.