ST. LOUIS – After three decades in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, nearly two as the team’s lead front-office executive, John Mozeliak’s tenure is nearing an end.
Mozeliak will step down as the Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations at the conclusion of the 2025 season, just days from now. Chaim Bloom, a former Red Sox and Rays executive with a strong background in analytics and player development, will take over after spending the last two years in an advisory role.
Mozeliak’s leadership produced a 2011 World Series title and regular October runs for much of his tenure, but the later years have been more turbulent. The Cardinals are on track to miss postseason for a third straight year, likely for the second time below .500 in that span. And the 11-time World Series champions have won just one postseason series over the last decade, also subpar to franchise norms.
Ahead of his departure, Mozeliak sat down with FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne for a one-on-one conversation. On FOX 2’s Sports Final, Mozeliak reflects on his highs and lows in St. Louis and how he ultimately hopes to be remembered.
Martin: “You had the Sunday farewell. Take me through that. You family is there. Were there emotions for you and did it finally hit home that this is it?”
Mozeliak: “Yes, I know it wasn’t it. Obviously we have a week left of baseball to be played and there’s still some things I need to do to wrap up my time with the Cardinals, but that day was a lot different than a normal Sunday. There were some things [the Cardinals] wanted to do with me, mic me up as I was walkting through halls, walking through the clubhouse. Obvsiouly my family was here much earlier than if they were coming for a game, but as I reflected back on my time, I just tried to take in how grateful people were to spend time with me that day. It was great. It was a great farewell. From my perspective, the people that needed to be there were there, my friends were around me. It was cool.”
Martin: “In your job, it’s always on to the next thing. Have you allowed for some nostalgia? It’s been 30 years since you’ve walked into this city.”
Mozeliak: “Yeah, it’s kind of well said, because I don’t have to think about what’s next right now in terms of normal, right? Like you walk outside this office and Randy Flores is trying to get his scouts re-signed, Cerf [Robert Cerfolio] is diligently working on what player development is going to look like next year. These guys are all working for 2026 and beyond. They’ll pop in and give me updates now and then, but really it’s for them to handle and not me anymore. You also have to think about, normally this time of year, I’m thinking about what the roster is going to look like for the following year, what we’re going to try to do in free agency, what we’re thinking about doing for trades. None of that is really on my radar, so I have a little time on my hands now, and I’m thinking a little more about what the ride was like. Simply put, if you had told me on November 1, 1995 that it would’ve ended this way, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat.”
Martin: “What’s the past year been like? Chaim Bloom is your successor. He’s here. You’re here. Has that been awkward?”
Mozeliak: “Not really in the sense of decision-making. I think the part that’s different is, for 17 years, I was the boss, and this year I was still the boss, but people know, ‘This boss is leaving, and the new one’s here.’ And so I do feel like those individuals had to cater more to Chaim than worry about me, but I sat down with that group last year and I told them, that’s exactly what you should do. Because they need to worry about themselves, then they need to plan for their futures, and decide what they want that to look like.”
Martin: “Is it harder to leave because the team is not in great shape and with the empty seats? The state of this franchise, does it make it a little more disappointing for you on the way out?”
Mozeliak: “You know, No. Because first off, the reason I’m leaving is because I feel like it’s time. I feel like, at some point, your voice isn’t as heard as much as it once was. And I think there’s a lot of dynamics that go into where the franchise is where it is. I’ve touched on this with you before, as far as post-pandemic, there are some things on the business side that ultimately will have to be addressed, but from a playing standpoint, we were a pretty competitive team last year. We fell short. I went into this year trying to thread a needle and trying to put that fun product on the field, but it was sort of an up-and-down season. Ultimately, at the trading deadline, we decided to trade off some of our better relievers. And you know, I don’t look at it in that sense of ‘I’m leaving because the team is where it is.’ I feel like I’ve done my time here, and it’s just time for that next generation.”
Martin: “You’ve been the focus of a lot of frustration and/or anger. How aware are you of that? And does that hurt at all?”
Mozeliak: “I think we all have become accustomed to understanding that we live in a world where it’s ‘What have you done for me lately?’ I think in time, I hope my legacy here will be one that the fans appreciate and are grateful for, but if that day never comes, then yeah, I’m aware they weren’t happy, and a lot of people were ready for me to leave. And so, guess what? I gave them what they wanted, and so, I hope from that standpoint they see that as a thank-you note from my end.”
Martin: “What about on Opening Day, hearing boos. Does that bother you? Does that bother your family?”
Mozeliak: “It definitely bothers me. I’m only human. I’m sure it bothers them. I do feel like this year was a little less on that front, but I think that’s because people know I’m leaving. But look, it’s a demanding city, it’s a demanding town in terms of wanting to win. There’s a lot of levers I can pull, but I can’t pull them all. I look back at my tenure, and we won a lot more than we lost, and I think back to some of those really special years. I think we created a lot of positive memories. From that, I don’t have any regrets.”
Martin: “Is the bar still high enough? It seemed like World Series was always the goal, and then the division was the way to get into the playoffs, but I think there’s a sense that ‘Well if we could just be good enough to be a Wild Card’ or whatever, do you think the standard has dropped at all?
Mozeliak: “I don’t, but that’s not for me to decide anymore. I was always trying to push what I could push, and try to make the most out of what I had. St. Louis is one of the smaller markets in Major League Baseball, and we were able to punch above our weight for many years, because we had a couple of things going. We had a robust TV contract, and we had huge fan support. And that allowed us to do things that maybe smaller markets couldn’t. Now, forgetting about economics, we always had a really strong pipeline of talent flowing. We got to get back to that model. I believe ownership will support that and then, the next endeavor is how do you augment that? And if that happens, I think St. Louis will be in a very good spot.”
Martin: “What do you think happened to the pipeline? Were there just swings and misses in terms of draft picks? Is it on the development side? Was it resources? What do you think? Because like you said, that is what kept the engine going.”
Mozeliak: “I think we had swings and misses. I think from a development standpoint, we are still producing players. I think we made a few decisions on players where we made the wrong ones. So we did have some mistakes, but in aggregate, we’re not back in 2023, which is what I feel was like the tipping point for us. I really went into that season thinking we would be okay, but we just had some players that underperformed, we had some injuries, and we had a few younger players step up and go, and I think it was a lot to pull together, and it was a tough year. I don’t feel like we totally rebounded, but I knew we needed starting pitching going into 2024, we signed Sonny Gray, we signed Lance Lynn, we brought in Kyle Gibson. We thought we addressed it, but offensively, we still struggled a little bit. So baseball is a sum or your parts. If one part isn’t going, it can really have an adverse effect on you. And so, as I’ve told you, I do feel like the Cardinals are in a good position, but I’m not here to predict when their timing is to go back and win. That’s for the next group of leaders to come in and share that with all of you.”
Martin: “When you say the organization is in a good spot, is a lot of that pointed to, Double-A has had a lot of success this year. Is it talent that isn’t quite major-league ready?”
Mozeliak: “I think a lot of the talent is going to be ready as early as 2026. You might even see somebody like J.J. Wetherholt break with the club. I think you’re going to see a lot more roster turnover than you did in the past year. Last year, we were so focused on trying to trade somebody with a no-trade [clause], we just got a little handcuffed in the offseason. I think you’ll see some turnover. It will probably be healthy for the organization. Like I said earlier, directionally where the DeWitts and Chaim start to take this, that’s up to them.”
Martin: “I think one of the biggest critiques of your tenure is hiring managers that didn’t have big-league managerial experience. Going back to Matheny, Shildt and Marmol. Was that by design? So there’s a narrative, you love narratives, ‘Hey, this way, Mo is totally in charge because they owe their job to him.’ Is it just coincidence that all three didn’t have [MLB managerial experience]?
Mozeliak: “I mean, obviously, I can answer this question the way I want to, right? But you should ask that question to the managers who worked for me. Do they feel I am micro-managing them? Do they feel like I told them what to do? I’m going to guess all three would tell you, ‘No.’ I think my management style is I try to create a lot of autonomy for individuals to do their job. Ultimately, I try to put the right people in place to make the right decision. And if I don’t get it right, then I’ll try agin.”
Martin: “You’ve always believed in Oli [Marmol]. What is it do you think, moving forward do you think he’s still the right guy for the job. I know it’s not your decision.”
Mozeliak: “It’s not my decision to put words or expectations in people’s mind, but I do feel like he’s a major-league manager. And if it’s not here, he’s going to help someone. He’s a talent.”
Martin: “What about biggest regrets? You’ve had a chance to think about those. Are there ‘What If?’ moments, ‘If we hadn’t made this move or sign this person.’ Are there a couple [of moves] you think would change the face of the franchise.”
Mozeliak: “I think it would be disingenuous if I said there was no regrets or all my decisions were perfect because we know that’s not true. In hindsight, I feel the [Marcell] Ozuna trade was one that felt like we needed a middle-of-the-order hitter. He was coming off a basically MVP-type season. We traded a lot of pitching to get him. And in hindsight, that did not pay off. This is a game where attrition can happen fast, and it puts a lot of stress when you lose those types of arms. So in hindsight, I would do that over again. Of course, there are many other mistakes I made. I’m human. I think most people agree if you don’t make a mistake from time to time, you’re probably just not trying. I would think or hope that our fans would give a little grace to when decisions don’t go right because we are trying to do what’s best for the franchise, but sometimes you get it wrong.”
Martin: “And spending doesn’t equal winning, but do you think, and when we see lower attendance, that will probably mean less payroll moving forward, one would think, based on the Cardinal model. Do you think the franchise spends enough in the current era?
Mozeliak: “So this is a question that nobody likes how one would answer it. And what I mean by that is, right now, one of the best teams in baseball is the Milwaukee Brewers. Obviously when you’re a market size like we are, that’s a good model to follow. And I think it looks a lot like our old model. Augment when you can, but produce as many in-house players as you can. I think Tampa Bay is a team that has had a lot of success without spending. But overall, when you look at the game of baseball, you think about the Dodgers, the Yankees, Chicago, Boston, San Diego. And these are teams that take much larger shots on goal with payroll than maybe others. And there’s a fine line there. This is a business. We’re not a public entity, we’re private. And so, decisions have to be made based on revenues. And ultimately, I still feel like the DeWitts are always going to try to keep this team competitive. The strategy may change, but that’s for them to decide where they really want this to go.”
Martin: “Do you have a sense that they’re in it for the long haul? I guess I shouldn’t say long haul, they’ve done it for 30 years, there’s always talk of ‘Oh, they’re going to sell the team. I know it, I hear it, ‘Oh, they’re going to sell the team.’ Do you have a sense that they’re still wanting to own this team for the next few years and beyond?
Mozeliak: “I get this question all the time, but I have no indication that they’re wanting to sell the team. Every time I talk to Bill, he’s always is all-in. So I think the DeWitts plan to be here for awhile.”
Martin: “Let’s talk some positives. Favorite trade, favorite moment, do you have a favorite trade? Because a lot of players came here via trade.”
Mozeliak: “Obviously, I wasn’t the GM, but I when I think back to the impact of the franchise, Mark McGwire was huge, because he brought people to the ballpark, not just here but everywhere he went. His impact to baseball was amazing. That was really cool to be a part of, even if just tangently. Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen. Both had huge impacts here. Red jackets, and one of them is actually in the Hall of Fame. And I think Jim Edmonds has a strong argument to be in it, so someday, he’ll probably be in that. And then you think about [Edgar] Renteria. It was an impactful trade for us. Picking up David Eckstein when he was a non-tender, the timing was perfect because we had just lost Renteria. The Matt Holliday deal for the St. Louis Cardinals, I think getting a middle-of-the-order bat and to sign here was great. There’s so many that I’ve been a part of. It’s hard to remember which ones were the best or my favorite because I look back at my career, and I think what really defines my career was length and consistency.”
Martin: “Is it harder to get players to come here? Goldschmidt really wanted to be a Cardinal. Arenado wanted to be a Cardinal. Is that still out there for the players?
Mozeliak: “I hear that question a lot. I still think St. Louis is a very desirable place to play. I think people love living here in terms of having their families. The ballpark is very accessible. I think that makes it very family-friendly, so that part I think is real. Obviously, when you’re looking at the free agent market and you’re seeing some players we’re not even talking with, part of that is just economics. We’re not going to be able to do what the Mets can do. And so ultimately, I still think St. Louis, giving its geographic location in the middle of the country, is still a pretty desirable place. And I think once we get back to where fans are consistently coming out, I think players have always loved that environment.”
Martin: “If I take away the Freese game [Game 6 of the 2011 World Series], could you name one or two others that were your favorite?”
Mozeliak: “Game 7 [of the NLCS] in New York in 2006. That game was equally riveting in up-and-down. Game 5 [of the 2011 NLDS] in Philly was one of the best I ever saw. And then Game 5 in Washington [2012 NLDS]. Or you could argue Game 5 in Atlanta [2019 NLDS]. There were so many fun games we were a part of.”
Martin: “Do you think it was so good for a stretch there that’s it’s almost a standard you, this team can’t meet? Can’t match?”
Mozeliak: “Well, I know it’s difficult. It’s hard when the landscape changes as well. The TV world kind of blew up on it. You bring in the pandemic, and people’s spending habits might have changed as well. And there were variables. But when you’re in this business, your job is to adapt, adjust or go home. That’s what we tried to do.”
Martin: “And how about your legacy, in this building here, not so much wins and losses, what do you hope it is around these hallways here?”
Mozeliak: “I guess the easiest way to say this is you hope you’re missed. I still feel like my job is to represent the St. Louis Cardinals in a professional manner. And that’s what I try to do.”