Cardinals: 3 big decisions John Mozeliak must make after contract extension

With John Mozeliak set to remain the Cardinals president of baseball operations through 2025, the question remains how he will cap off what could be his final seasons with the team. 

Cardinals ownership took the first week of Spring Training to re-sign the architect behind 15 consecutive winning seasons for the organization. By signing his extension, Mozeliak will remain the head of baseball operations for the Cardinals.

Under Mozeliak, the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series and were powered that offseason by some big hits from David Freese, who Mozeliak acquired as a part of his first trade as general manager of the Cardinals. The Cardinals traded Jim Edmonds to the Padres for the young St. Louis native who went on to become World Series MVP and a legend in St. Louis.

Hired originally for scouting, Mozeliak has passionately rebuilt the working relationship between the front office, analytics and scouting.

Mozeliak has some big decisions on his plate as we head into the 2023 season.

1.  Cardinals pitching staff questions going into 2024

Adam Wainwright will retire after the 2023 season. Miles Mikolas will play in the final season of his current deal with the Cardinals in 2023. Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are playing in their final seasons of arbitrations, making them free agents in 2024.

With Steven Matz as the only pitcher signed after this season, that’s four potential openings on the pitching staff for the 2024 season.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported the Cardinals expect to have discussions on contract extensions with at least one starter this spring.

It would be great to see Mikolas, Montgomery and Flaherty receive consideration this spring for a contract extension. It would probably be a relief for all to get it out of the way. But, Flaherty and Montgomery may want to see what free agency is all about.

2. Will the Cardinals be in on the spending bonanza?

During Mozeliak’s time as general manager and president of baseball operations, he has worked to develop homegrown talent. He has opted to draft good players and develop them. But, given the opportunity, he will make a move to improve the team as he did in the trades to acquire Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

Goold has reported Mozeliak has called the bonanza of spending in the game a “test of the Cardinals’ model” he helped construct, advance and now has long maintained.

During this offseason, Mozeliak had payroll to fortify a team that included two of the top three finishers for the NL MVP — Goldschmidt and Arenado. The team did sign catcher Willson Contreras to a five-year, $87.5 million deal. Goold reported the deal was the largest ever finalized by the Cardinals for a player from outside the organization.

How Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic play out over the next few weeks could play a big part in payroll growth. Goold believes possible contract extensions by the season’s end could have the club’s payroll surpass $200 million in spending. This would be a first in the Cardinals’ history.

3. New facilities

The Cardinals have been working on a makeover to the spring and player development headquarters. They are also working toward advancement of the long-discussed pitching lab for the organization. Goold said Mozeliak has been working towards a $108 million “modernization” of the Florida complex from plan to construction.

According to Goold, “With final approval and the issuance of bonds from Palm Beach County, the project is set to begin this spring and a new, updated and upgraded facility will open in 2025, the final year of Mozeliak’s new contract.”

With Mozeliak’s passion over the years for player development, it would be huge for his ultimate legacy with the organization to get these two facilities completed before the conclusion of his contract.

With several years in the Cardinals organization, Mozeliak already has quite the legacy. The next few years should be exciting to see just how he caps things off.