Mozeliak: "Some Changes" Coming For Cardinals, But Not A Rebuild

[Magneto2.0]

lol for people who don't want to read the whole thing, bullet points:

They didn't expect the season to go like this, they thought they had a contender going into the season. Injuries played a factor, but he knows fans don't want to hear any excuses. It is what it is

They wanted to give Liberatore a chance and thought Hudson would start. Libby hasn't stepped up and Hudson pitched most of the season in the minors, if he had to do it again, he would definitely had went after pitching

He understands fans calling for his job, because it's been a bad year

They'll give Wainwright a chance to fix himself but to a point. If he's just not physically able to do the job and they're going to have to move on

Addresses Arozarena and Garcia and said at the time Bader and O'Neill were the more championed prospects, but said clearly they got it wrong on Arozarena and Garcia.

Talked about the trade deadline and that they hope to build around their core with eyes towards 2024. But they're not going to be just giving players away. The compensation has to be worth it. He can guarantee players will be traded but he can't say if they'll be bigger names or guys who aren't on this team beyond this year. But it sounds like Goldy, Arenado types are not being traded.

Doesn't blame Marmol for the season. Saying he's doing a good job with what he has.

He said they can't continue doing what they have been doing because it's not working. He said you have to admit you have a problem, and then find the solution. So they won't keep the same approach, something has to change in order to get back on track.

Addressed fans saying they lowered the bar from a WS to just a division title and said he builds teams to win. Says they go into the season with a team they think can win and use the trade deadline to address areas of weakness. Says it's not fair to just look at money, because there's a lot of teams that spend more than the Cardinals and they're in a similar boat currently. He said they're not arrogant or complacent, they thought this season would fair much better, but it didn't work. And they're going to have to fix it.

[dmarx114]

Mo deserves some slack. This is likely to be his first losing season out of 17 years. So clearly he has made some really good moves throughout his tenure.

But Alcantara, Gallen, Arozarena, and Garcia not being on the Cardinals are mistakes he has to own, and he does. We can't crush Mo for not being able to spend money he isn't allowed to spend, but he has to be better in trades. Mo will have the opportunity to prove himself this deadline and next off season to fix the rotation and bullpen.

If he doesn't, and 2024 is similar to 2023, I can't see him surviving for 2025.

[MrCrowesGarden]

Thanks for sharing, Magneto. I think it's mostly fair, but I'd disagree with with him about saying they aren't arrogant or complacent. They very much are. I also know he's pointing to the Mets (and to some extent the Padres) about teams that spent more and aren't thriving, but recent history shows spenders win.

[dmarx114]

Would have liked to hear Mo discuss Yadi and Contreras.

[Famous Mortimer]

High end starters are risky and expensive.

How have our non-high-end starters worked out this year?

[ghostrunner]

Mo deserves some slack. This is likely to be his first losing season out of 17 years. So clearly he has made some really good moves throughout his tenure.

But Alcantara, Gallen, Arozarena, and Garcia not being on the Cardinals are mistakes he has to own, and he does. We can't crush Mo for not being able to spend money he isn't allowed to spend, but he has to be better in trades. Mo will have the opportunity to prove himself this deadline and next off season to fix the rotation and bullpen.

If he doesn't, and 2024 is similar to 2023, I can't see him surviving for 2025.

I feel almost the opposite of this. I think stuff like Garcia and Arozarena and the rest is going to happen. Maybe missing on all of those guys indicates something. Hard to say. Would like to hear his thoughts on development in the org. But more concerning to me with Mo is not recognizing pitching as a real problem for multiple seasons, at the start of the season. I feel like Contreras is clearly a mistake, even if I liked it at the time. Just the wrong choice for where this club is now, which is something I'd expect him to know. I wasn't aware Contreras wouldn't be catching much as time goes on. Signing Waino for that contract was a waste of money. Singing nobody else besides him and Contreras was a big let down.

[Famous Mortimer]

Martin: “Has the bar lowered from ‘We’re going to win a title’ to ‘We’re going to win a division?’ There’s a narrative that the Cardinals want to be just good enough to get in, and granted you can get in and anything can happen, I think we all believe that. But are you guys content with just getting in as opposed to being a little more bold?”

Mozeliak: “No I think people acquaint bold with spending, and I don’t know if that’s the fairest way to look at it. However you want to phrase it, there are many teams that outspend us, or out-aggressive us, and they’re finding themselves in similar situations. I don’t think that’s solely the answer.

The question didn't mention money, yet that's where Mozeliak went straight to. Also, this is a fairly unusual season in terms of spending not necessarily equalling success - the last time I read something on this, there's a fairly strong correlation between the two things.

[go birds]

mozeliak is very bad at his job. when will people realize this?

[cardsfantx]

Mo deserves some slack. This is likely to be his first losing season out of 17 years. So clearly he has made some really good moves throughout his tenure.

But Alcantara, Gallen, Arozarena, and Garcia not being on the Cardinals are mistakes he has to own, and he does. We can't crush Mo for not being able to spend money he isn't allowed to spend, but he has to be better in trades. Mo will have the opportunity to prove himself this deadline and next off season to fix the rotation and bullpen.

If he doesn't, and 2024 is similar to 2023, I can't see him surviving for 2025.

I feel almost the opposite of this. I think stuff like Garcia and Arozarena and the rest is going to happen. Maybe missing on all of those guys indicates something. Hard to say. Would like to hear his thoughts on development in the org. But more concerning to me with Mo is not recognizing pitching as a real problem for multiple seasons, at the start of the season. I feel like Contreras is clearly a mistake, even if I liked it at the time. Just the wrong choice for where this club is now, which is something I'd expect him to know. I wasn't aware Contreras wouldn't be catching much as time goes on. Signing Waino for that contract was a waste of money. Singing nobody else besides him and Contreras was a big let down.

contreras is fine; actually a bright spot on this crap hole of a team. from Bernie yesterday...

After an unsettling, frustrating beginning to his St. Louis career, Contreras is rolling. It was just a matter of time. In his last 16 games he’s batting .404 with a 1.194 OPS and 11 extra–base hits. The surge has moved him up to 7th among regular MLB catchers in WAR. And his wRC+, which puts him 11 percent above average offensively, ranks 6th among regular catchers. And Contreras is above average defensively in FanGraphs’ composite defensive ratings. Did you know that Contreras has more WAR (1.4) this season than J.T. Realmuto (1.1)?

[thrill]

mozeliak is very bad at his job. when will people realize this?

His job is to field winning teams while spending the least amount of money possible. He's extremely good at it. He works for Bill DeWitt, not us.