John Mozeliak is clutching the Cardinals' trade chips with foolish optimism

Hesitance and indecisiveness have plagued John Mozeliak throughout the latter years of his tenure as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations, and as the team's front office hurtles toward decision time on whether to buy or sell at the 2025 trade deadline, Mozeliak once again appears apprehensive at the thought of dealing some of the Cardinals' top talent — especially those who can help the club finish games.

An article from Katie Woo in The Athletic (subscription required) mentioned Mozeliak's reluctance to part with Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz or Phil Maton, all of whom have served as valuable pieces out of the Cardinals' bullpen. With the three relievers on expiring deals, it would make sense for the Cardinals to see what they could acquire for them at the trade deadline. However, Mozeliak sounds squeamish at the idea.

"It would definitely be a concern. Right now, I don’t think we have intentions of doing that, but again, we’ll see where we’re at."

John Mozeliak

Mozeliak can't blow his final chance to deal Helsley and other relief arms.

Helsley, the Cardinals' closing pitcher, has not enjoyed the same level of success that he did in 2024, but he still holds a respectable 3.30 ERA and 17 saves on the season. Matz has dealt with numerous injuries in his three and a half seasons with the Cardinals, but he has been consistent in a relief role, with a 3.45 ERA. Maton, the Cardinals' only free agent signing of the offseason, has performed admirably, owning a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings out of the bullpen.

The Cardinals should be able to receive some semblance of minor league talent for these players if Mozeliak decides to hammer out a deal, but the constant allure of the "make the postseason and anything can happen" mantra that the Cardinals brass loves to spout could have Mozeliak piloting the ship full speed ahead in his final season as he desperately looks for one more hurrah to cap off his 19 years at the helm of the team.

In a bit of defense to Mozeliak, it's unclear what the trade market for these relief pitchers would look like. Helsley, who will likely command the largest return of the three pitchers mentioned, might not be as sought after as many fans are expecting. Still, with the Cardinals unlikely to make a serious playoff push this season, it would be far smarter to acquire even a lottery ticket type of player in return rather than allowing Helsley to depart for nothing after the season.

In her article, Woo mentioned that if the top bullpen arms are off the table, the Cardinals could look to deal Erick Fedde to make a spot for Michael McGreevy in the rotation. But Fedde's poor performance as of late, combined with the lack of minor league depth in the rotation, would make for a risky deal that isn't worth the return, and it's likely not one that Mozeliak would be comfortable carrying out.

Mozeliak could simply be holding his cards close to his chest and have every intention of dealing one or more of these three pitchers at the deadline, but he had the same refrain in the offseason regarding Helsley, and, of course, he stayed true to his words. Still, with Chaim Bloom prepared to take the reins from Mozeliak in 2026, it's difficult to believe that Mozeliak wouldn't leave the Cardinals in as promising a state as possible for his successor. Bloom is likely to have input on the players whom the Cardinals could acquire from a trade of Helsley or others, so there's no reason for the team not to provide Bloom with a head start on building a roster best suited for how he would like to rework the organization.

The Cardinals' next few games will be critical in determining the fate of their roster at the trade deadline, and as sacrilegious as it may be to say, those who don't believe in the 2025 iteration of this team may silently be hoping for the Cardinals to go into a tailspin to dissuade Mozeliak from wasting his last chance at improving the Cardinals of tomorrow.