John Mozeliak's post-Cardinals career could involve returning to save his former team

John Mozeliak's story as a baseball executive goes back more than 30 years. Mozeliak, fresh out of college and searching for a baseball job, made contact with the Colorado Rockies back in 1993.

Mozeliak met pitcher Bryn Smith through a mutual connection in Jay Darnell, a video coordinator at the time for the Colorado Rockies. The story goes that Mozeliak and Smith went on a fly fishing trip together, and soon after, the Rockies decided to bring Mozeliak on board as a batting practice pitcher, for the club needed someone who could throw left-handed.

The Rockies were an expansion team in 1993, so Mozeliak was literally entering the ground floor of a new franchise. Rockies outfielder Dante Bichette took a liking to John Mozeliak, and the organization opted to create a clubhouse job for Mo. Mozeliak began working closely with Bob Gebhard, the Rockies' general manager at the time, and Walt Jocketty, the assistant general manager.

The rest is, as they say, history.

Mozeliak spent three seasons with the Rockies, and he traveled with Walt Jocketty to St. Louis in 1995. Mozeliak started off as an assistant scouting director in St. Louis, and his role with the team slowly grew until he became the club's general manager following the 2007 season. In Mozeliak's 18 years at the helm in St. Louis, he's accomplished quite a bit.

The Cardinals have made it to the postseason ten times since the 2008 season, they've won the National League Central six times in that time frame, they have two National League pennants, and they won the World Series in 2011. While the club's success has been few and far between these last few seasons, it's undeniable that Mozeliak's early work with the franchise set them up for years of success.

2025 will be John Mozeliak's last year at the helm for the St. Louis Cardinals. His imminent retirement has been expected for a little bit now, and Chaim Bloom will replace Mozeliak as the club's president of baseball operations at the end of the year. While fans have recently become divided on Mozeliak's legacy, he is likely a shoo-in for the Cardinals Hall of Fame down the road.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak could return to the Colorado Rockies after stepping down from the Cardinals to save their franchise.

Randy Karraker of STL Sports Central recently discussed the next steps for John Mozeliak following Mozeliak's retirement. "If I were the Colorado Rockies after this season, I would bring John Mozeliak home," said Karraker. "He knows how to find pitchers that can pitch in that ballpark. You need the Pedro Astacio and the Jose Jimenez, a really hard sinker guy." Karraker continued saying, "If I'm Dick Monfort (the Rockies' owner) and I'm truly competitive, what I would do, I would put him in charge of my baseball operations to a group in place that could acquire the kind of players necessary to win at Coors Field."

Pedro Astacio had a career 7.32 ERA at Coors Field, and Jose Jimenez posted a career 4.42 ERA there. Using these two as prime examples may not be ideal, but Mozeliak did have a hand in the Rockies' success in the 1995 season; the Rockies made the postseason as a playoff team that year. In 1995, Mozeliak's last year with the Rockies, their pitching staff posted a 90 ERA- (100 is average, and a lower number is better), the 8th-best figure in the league. Clearly, he did something right with their pitching development.

Another bit of news has come to light over the last few days that could also affect Mozeliak's plans. The Colorado Rockies announced that President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Feasel, a member of the Rockies' front office since 1995, will step down at the end of this season. Former Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and son of owner Dick Monfort Walker Monfort will become the executive vice president of the Rockies. Walker will assume Feasel's responsibilities in 2026.

This transition of power has opened up high-ranking positions for someone else to fill. Could that be John Mozeliak?

The Rockies have been one of baseball's worst franchises since their inception in 1993. They've only made it to the postseason five times in their 32-year existence, and they need a full reset (ah, see that word again?) from the top down. Mozeliak would have to be committed to re-shaping the franchise as he enters the twilight of his baseball career.

Mozeliak hasn't commented specifically on his plans following retirement, but he has spoken about his final season with the organization. In an interview with 101 ESPN prior to Opening Day, Mozeliak said, "I started thinking about it a little bit, and I did get a little sad." He's hinted at wanting to take some time off to spend with his family after the 2025 season, but he has yet to state if he'll ever return to baseball.

The Cardinals could bring back Mozeliak in an advisory role or a role on the non-baseball side of operations.

It's likely that Mozeliak takes a break from baseball following his departure from St. Louis. He just turned 56 in January, so he isn't old by any means. A brief hiatus followed by a return to a lesser role in baseball operations with the Rockies shouldn't be out of the question.