The 10 best moves by St. Louis Cardinals John Mozeliak since 2015

These are the 10 best moves St. Louis Cardinals front office has made since 2015.

It’s human nature to focus on the negatives in life, and that is especially true when it comes to sports. In baseball, nearly every move a front office makes is placed under a microscope, and fans are often quick to jump to conclusions when a new arrival struggles with his team or a departed player finds success with his new team. For the St. Louis Cardinals, nobody receives more scrutiny than John Mozeliak, the team’s President of Baseball Operations.

Cardinals fans have heavily criticized Mozeliak for many moves the Cardinals have made under his watch, most notably the trades of Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen to the Miami Marlins and the deal that sent Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays. The latter trade still needs to play itself out, as the return, Matthew Liberatore, has proven himself to be more effective this year than in seasons past.

A more difficult facet of Mozeliak’s tenure for fans who have already hopped onto the “fire Mo” train to acknowledge is the successes he has had in the past eight years. Before 2015, Mozeliak’s successes included extending Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter, acquiring Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran, and pulling off the blockbuster trade with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 that led the Cardinals to a World Series title. While the years since haven't seen quite the same success from the front office, Mozeliak and General Manager Michael Girsch have still made their fair share of shrewd decisions.

Here are the 10 best deals by John Mozeliak since 2015.

10. Juan Yepez trade (2017)

I’ll be transparent here: I had a lot of trouble deciding on No. 10 on this list, but I finally settled on the Cardinals’ trade of Matt Adams to the Atlanta Braves for Juan Yepez.

Adams had become an extra piece for the Cardinals after Matt Carpenter took over the first base job, and his production at the time (.292 average) made him a logical trade piece. In return, the Cardinals received Yepez, who had hit decently with the Braves’ Rookie League and Single-A affiliates but wasn’t considered a prospect.

Yepez hit well throughout much of his time in the Cardinals’ system and arrived in the major leagues five years after the trade. Through June of 2022, Yepez was one of the Cardinals’ best hitters, hitting .284 with nine home runs while splitting time between the outfield and designated hitter. He hurt his forearm in July and went on the injured list, and he wasn't as productive after he returned.

Yepez spent the beginning of 2023 in Triple-A Memphis until Tyler O'Neill's injury opened a door for him, and while Yepez does not have the defensive ability to play in the field every day, he still has a decent enough bat to play in a bench role.

Adams failed to produce much offense after the trade to the Braves, hitting .225 from 2018 to 2021 with four teams, including a brief return to St. Louis after they claimed him off waivers. Although Yepez is reaching the spot Adams did with the Cardinals at the end of his tenure — a player who is more of a luxury than a necessity — his production with the Cardinals to this point has far outweighed that of Adams with the teams he played for after the trade.

9. Kwang Hyun Kim signing (2019)

Spare a thought for Kwang Hyun Kim, an arrival from the KBO in South Korea who had the misfortune of playing his first year during the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020 while trying to acclimate to a new league and culture.

The Cardinals signed the 31-year-old Kim to a two-year contract worth $8 million in 2020, and to Kim's credit, he performed excellently and did well to shore up a questionable rotation. In his first season in the major leagues, he had a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings.

The Cardinals hoped for more of the same in 2021, but Kim wasn't as effective, pitching to a 3.46 ERA in 106.2 innings. The Cardinals acquired some pitching reinforcements along the way in the form of Jon Lester and J.A. Happ, which pushed Kim to a bullpen role in September.

If it weren't for the lockout to begin the 2022 season, Kim likely would have remained in the major leagues and signed somewhere as a free agent, but since free agents were forbidden to communicate with teams during the lockout, Kim decided to return to South Korea.

Kim's saga in the major leagues was brief but successful, and his presence did a lot to fix a rotation that lacked stability. His signing was among the front office's most successful forays into the Asian market, even if circumstances beyond Kim's control prevented him from playing in the major leagues as long as he would have preferred.

7. Kolten Wong's contract extension (2016)

Kolten Wong was a 25-year-old whippersnapper when he received a five-year contract extension before the 2016 season. In just over two previous seasons, Wong had a .251 average in 1,108 plate appearances. The Cardinals had faith that their 2011 first-round draft pick would continue his upward trajectory, and it worked out for the most part.

Over the next five seasons, Wong had an average of .267, and by the end of his tenure in St. Louis, he had developed into an elite defender at second base, winning Gold Glove Awards in 2019 and 2020. His best season came in 2019, where he hit .285 with a .784 OPS. Despite his success, the Cardinals declined his contract option after the 2020 season, and he became a free agent.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed Wong prior to the 2021 season, and he had a strong first year at the plate, with a career-high 14 home runs and an average of .272. However, his defensive skills eroded significantly, and they continued to decline in his next season with the Brewers and after his trade to the Seattle Mariners in 2022.

The Cardinals' extension of Wong in 2016 resulted in a second baseman who was a solid contributor on offense and defense throughout his time with the team. While Wong's first season with Milwaukee appeared to confirm many Cardinals fans' fears that letting him walk in free agency was a mistake, he has not had the same success since, and it looks as though the Cardinals made the right decision.

6. Giovanny Gallegos trade (2018)

The Cardinals' trade of Luke Voit to the New York Yankees for Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos is a lesson that it usually takes a few seasons to be able to accurately judge a trade. Voit went off in the abridged 2020 season, leading the major leagues in home runs and causing dismay among Cardinals fans. But to the Cardinals' credit, they saw something in Gallegos, and the deal has unquestionably swung heavily in favor of the Cardinals.

While Shreve was unspectacular with the Cardinals and departed in free agency after 2019, Gallegos became a stalwart in the Cardinals bullpen. In a normally volatile position in terms of pitchers' yearly performance, Gallegos has been remarkably consistent, with a 2.75 ERA and 302 strikeouts in 249 innings during just over five seasons with the team. He was the Cardinals' primary closer in 2021, netting 14 saves that year and in 2022 until he was unseated by Ryan Helsley.

After Voit's spectacular 2020, he fell back to earth and hit only .239 with 11 home runs in 2021. He subsequently played with the San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, and Milwaukee Brewers the following two seasons and hit only .225 with 22 home runs with those teams.

While Voit proved to be a meteor streaking across the sky, shining brightly and crashing violently, Gallegos showed himself to be the real deal, and he has been one of the pillars in the Cardinals' bullpen for several seasons.

5. Miles Mikolas signing (2017)

The Cardinals' most successful reclamation project from overseas in years, Miles Mikolas had a 2.18 ERA in Japan before the Cardinals took a flier on him before the 2018 season. He was a revelation in his first season back in the United States, finishing with an 18-4 record and a 2.83 ERA. He led the team in innings pitched, with 200.2, and he was voted to the All-Star team.

After he missed all of 2020 and part of 2021 with an injury, Mikolas returned to full strength in 2022 and delivered another productive season, pitching 202.1 innings with a 3.29 ERA, and he made it to the All-Star team again. The Cardinals signed him to a two-year extension that runs through 2025.

The Cardinals have gone back to Asia a few times since Mikolas' arrival in St. Louis to bring back former major leaguers who traveled across the Pacific Ocean, and while they whiffed with Aaron Brooks, Drew VerHagen has so far proven to be an adequate find.

Mikolas was able to translate his success in Japan to the major leagues, and he has been a fixture in the Cardinals' rotation for four full seasons. While his start to the 2023 season was less than ideal, Mikolas has begun to turn his performance around, and that extension could still be valuable with Steven Matz the only other starter under contract for 2024.

4. Albert Pujols signing (2022)

Albert Pujols was the engine powering the St. Louis Cardinals' offense from 2001 to 2011, and after he didn't re-sign with the Cardinals following the 2011 World Series win, fans were livid. But after a decade of relative mediocrity from Pujols with the Los Angeles Angels, many Cardinals fans' hearts had softened. A half-season in 2021 with the Los Angeles Dodgers revitalized Pujols, and when he reached free agency after that season, the Cardinals decided to embark on a reunion that would capture Cardinals fans' hearts and captivate those around the baseball world.

The majority of Cardinals supporters were overjoyed to have Pujols back, even though he was far past his prime. A few people (like me) saw it in a more negative light, believing Pujols would be a hindrance to the team and was only signed as nostalgia bait.

In the first half of the season, Pujols hit only .215. Despite his subpar performance, fans flocked to the gates and roared in appreciation anytime he'd come up to bat. The second half was magical, though, as Pujols provided actual production and thump in the lineup. He hit .323 from July 23 through the end of the season, but the biggest attraction was the emergence of his quest for 700 home runs, previously thought of as a long shot.

Although Pujols' 700th home run was fairly anticlimactic, occurring at Dodger Stadium and on national television instead of a Cardinals broadcast, the event was still widely celebrated. While Pujols didn't provide quite as much on-field production as some players lower on this list, the effect he had on St. Louis and on baseball in 2022 is impossible to overstate.

3. Paul Goldschmidt trade (2018)

The Cardinals had a hole in the corner infield before the 2019 season, and they plugged it in a big way after trading Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, and Andrew Young for Arizona Diamondbacks slugging first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Already on a Hall of Fame trajectory after hitting .297 over eight seasons with the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt took a year to adapt to his new surroundings, hitting only .260 in 2019, but he busted out with an MVP-winning season in 2022.

Even in his down 2019, Goldschmidt provided much-needed power to a moribund offense, as Matt Carpenter had trouble adjusting to increased defensive shifts against him and Marcell Ozuna failed to replicate his previous season. Goldschmidt returned to form in 2020 and 2021, receiving Nolan Arenado as support across the diamond in the latter season.

While Goldschmidt won the MVP award in 2022 after hitting .317 with 35 home runs, he skidded in September and October, hitting only .245 and not contributing in the postseason. Still, his production has far outweighed what the Diamondbacks received, and Cardinals fans are unlikely to lament the deal.

Weaver had a career 4.72 ERA with Arizona in three and a half seasons, while Kelly has hit .231 and been an average defensive catcher during his time in the desert. Young played just over a season with Arizona, hitting .205, and is currently sputtering in the Washington Nationals’ system.

Trading unproven players for superstars rarely ends up being a bad decision, and the Goldschmidt trade was no exception for the Cardinals. Postseason success will ultimately determine whether this deal was merely a good one or an all-time great one.

2. Nolan Arenado trade (2021)

After Matt Carpenter had declined to a level that relegated him to a bench role, the Cardinals were looking for a starting third baseman. They hit the jackpot when they pried Nolan Arenado away from the Colorado Rockies for Austin Gomber, Elehuris Montero, Mateo Gil, Tony Locey, Jake Sommers, and about $51 million.

The Cardinals’ trades for Paul Goldschmidt and Arenado can be up for debate on which was better for the team, but Arenado edges out Goldschmidt for me because of the defense Arenado provides at a premium position and the $51 million the Rockies coughed up in addition to Arenado.

Arenado brought the stunning defense he had been lauded for over to the Cardinals and has since added two more Gold Glove Awards to his mantel while brandishing the birds on the bat. Offensively, Arenado has hit .272 with 73 home runs with the Cardinals, and he recently picked up his 1,000th career RBI. In 2022, he finished third in MVP voting.

The players traded for Arenado have mostly failed to pan out. Gomber has a 5.31 ERA for the Rockies; Montero is hitting .255 as a serviceable regular; and Locey, Sommers, and Gil are struggling in the minor leagues.

Arenado exercised his player option in 2022, choosing to remain with the Cardinals for the long haul. He has proclaimed his love for playing in St. Louis, and although like Goldschmidt, he has yet to see postseason success, he will be a key cog in guiding the Cardinals toward their next title.

1. Randy Flores hired as scouting director (2015)

While the trades and signings the Cardinals have made to patch holes have often worked out, especially the ones listed in this article, St. Louis has always been a team committed to developing talent from within. On that front, the Cardinals have been massively successful in drafting major league talent since Randy Flores became the scouting director and was put in charge of the amateur draft.

Thanks to Flores’ choices, the Cardinals have been able to have a wellspring of prospects and a farm system that consistently ranks in the top half of baseball year after year. The players he finds success in aren’t just in the early rounds, either; the Cardinals are continually able to find talent deeper into drafts.

In 2016, Flores’ first draft, the Cardinals took Tommy Edman in the sixth round, who has become a valuable utility player. The 2017 draft didn’t see the same results, partially because the Cardinals had to give up their first two picks as punishment for the hacking scandal.

In 2018, the team drafted Nolan Gorman, who has been the Cardinals' best player so far in 2023. They also took Brendan Donovan in round seven and Lars Nootbaar in round eight, both of whom are strong regulars. 2019 saw the Cardinals grab Zack Thompson and Andre Pallante. Thompson will hopefully provide a piece to the largely unknown 2024 rotation, while Pallante has been a decent bullpen arm.

Then we reached the 2020 draft, which could end up as Flores’ crown jewel. Jordan Walker is currently the top prospect in baseball, and Masyn Winn isn’t far behind. Tink Hence has ace-caliber stuff, and Alec Burleson, the first player of the Cardinals from that draft to make his debut, has had some productive moments in the major leagues.

Nobody from the 2021 or 2022 drafts has made it to the major leagues for the Cardinals yet, but Gordon Graceffo is one highly-ranked prospect who could also fight for a spot in the 2024 rotation.

While the Cardinals’ pitching development program has been dragged through the mud by fans and former players alike recently, the team has an elite offense at the highest level and is bursting at the seams in the minor leagues, with more promising hitters eager to take their cuts with the big club. If the Cardinals can figure out how to develop pitchers again, Flores’ drafts could look even better in the future.

Trades and signings help in the immediate term, but drafting successfully is the key to sustained success, and Flores might be more responsible for that than anyone else.

Although it’s not clear to outsiders how Mozeliak’s and Girsch‘s responsibilities differ (I’m of the opinion that Girsch does a lot more regarding trading and signing than most fans realize), whoever is holding the reins has a good run of success to look back on. The moves can’t all be home runs — just look at the article of the front office’s worst moves from the same time span — but Mo and company have fielded a competitive team for over a decade. They’re doing something right.