How does John Mozeliak stack up against other long-term general managers?

Mike Hazen, Arizona Diamondbacks -- October 16, 2016

Mike Hazen entered as the Arizona Diamondbacks general manager after the team lost 93 games in 2016. Despite having young studs such as Paul Goldschmidt, Jean Segura, and Brandon Drury, the team couldn't put it together that year. Hazen supplanted Dave Stewart. Ironically, Jerry Dipoto, now the head of the Seattle Mariners, was once an interim GM for the Diamondbacks in 2010.

Mike Hazen was tasked with tapping into the potential that players like Zach Greinke, Robbie Ray, and Patrick Corbin had as starting pitchers. Hazen did just that, and he flipped the team's wins and losses from 2016; the D-Backs won 93 games in his first year at the helm, and they made the playoffs that year for the first time in 5 years

What the Diamondbacks can tout over the Cardinals in the last 7 years is a World Series appearance. The Diamondbacks, against all odds, made it to the World Series in 2023. They lost to the Texas Rangers, but Hazen can lay claim to something that John Mozeliak hasn't been able to do in the last 7 years.

Mo's Cardinal teams overpower the Diamondbacks in division titles, winning percentage, and playoff appearances over the same stretch of seasons. Also, the Cardinals have had only one season below .500 under Mozeliak's watch whereas the Diamondbacks have finished under that mark in 4 seasons.

It depends on what you value out of your franchise, but Mozeliak likely edges out most of the baseball heads who have been in their roles for at least 7 years. A consistently good product has created a model of sustained success under John Mozeliak's leadership. While he has soured on some in the past few years, it's hard to argue with his resume when pitted against other modern general managers or presidents of baseball operations.