Cardinals' John Mozeliak: 'I get the sense the city is tiring of me'

It sounds like John Mozeliak is hearing St. Louis Cardinals fans' frustrations with him loud and clear.

During a sit-down interview with Frank Cusumano of KSDK News, Mozeliak said "I certainly get the sense the city is tiring of me," and "the vocal minority is getting louder and louder."

I'll get to the vocal minority part of the quote in a moment, as I think it seems to be in the same vein as quotes that Bill DeWitt III had about fans just this past week. But I think the transparency from Mozeliak here about the city's frustration is really interesting.

First, I think it's worth sitting with the beginning of the clip above, where Mozeliak stated that most of his family knows they should not read things about him. I'm not asking you to feel bad for Mozeliak and all of the blessings his family has because of the role he has been in, but very few people in the world can understand the emotional toll that is placed on his family when the fan base talks about him the way it does. No one is saying he shouldn't be held accountable, but maybe think twice before sending out some of the over-the-top personal hate that many do.

Second, Mozeliak acknowledged that he sees the feedback. It's part of his job. Not only is he trying to field a team that can win ballgames, but he's also a part of running a business, one that does well when it's successful and entertaining. So when a growing portion of the fanbase names him as the main reason they no longer enjoy the product, that's something he has to be aware of.

He's right, the city is growing tired of him, but to what extent is a fair question. Sometimes we take 50 comments on social media as proof that the majority of people feel something or 90% of a vote on a poll that only has 400 votes. If you're a fan who spends a lot of time on Twitter like myself, frankly we are in the minority. Most fans do not spend countless hours talking about the team on X, Facebook Reddit, or blogs, or whatever outlet you take in Cardinals content. There are millions of people who consider themselves fans of the team.

Now, with that being said, I don't agree with Mozeliak when he says it's a vocal minority. I think it's pretty telling that at Adam Wainwright's retirement ceremony and Opening Day this year, fans showered Mozeliak with boos. It's not just a vocal minority or casual fans who are frustrated with Mozeliak, there are a lot of people who spend a lot of money on their product who are wondering how much they can truly spend on a product they no longer enjoy to the same extent they did before.

Now, Mozeliak was mostly right in his assessment of how to fix it - "The only thing that can change that course is we start playing better."

Yes and no.

Yes, winning is typically the cureall, and it's true that fan frustration was a lot quieter in 2022 than it has been in 2023 and 2024. If you win, fans tend to be pretty forgiving. The Cardinals, before the series finale against the Red Sox, have won five of their last six games after a horrible losing streak that came close to unraveling this regime. No, Cardinals fans should not believe all is well now, but if the club keeps it up over the next few months, I can see the noise quieting down...for now.

In the end, the damage has already been done to a portion of this fanbase, and even if they do find a way to win this year, there is a growing list of fans who do not care until Mozeliak is gone. Is that unfair? Probably. But it's the reality of the situation, and I'm not sure if Mozeliak realized that or not.