Cardinals Spring Training: Notes from Oli Marmol, John Mozeliak, and more

John Mozeliak's extension is about stability, setting up the future regime

I stated a few days ago that John Mozeliak's extension was a great move for the Cardinals. What I have found most interesting in the aftermath is how honest he has been about his decision to sign the extension, and his goal to set up the front office for long-term success when he is gone.

On 101 ESPN's The Opening Drive, Mozeliak was asked if there was a decision to make regarding whether or not he would sign the extension.

"There was. I've been in this seat a long time. I sometimes wonder; if you're in a position of this length, do you start to lose your voice? Are you still able to reach people...and for me I took a little bit of time to reflect... I was able to reenergize and understand what the next couple years will look like."

- John Mozeliak, 101 ESPN.

When asked what energized him, he immediately went to Nolan Arenado's decision to stay and the great front office group he works with that encouraged him to stick around.

The last part speaks volumes to me. Names like Michael Girsch and Randy Flores would be next in line for President of Baseball Operations, so naturally, you would think they would be open to Mozeliak moving on. Instead, they made sure he knew his value to them and this organization, and Mozeliak committed to staying till the end of 2025 to help these two and the rest of the organization prepare for life after Mozeliak.

Mozeliak stated in his press conference that there will be some shifts made to create more upward mobility for the rest of the front office and grow their responsibilities. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next calendar year.