Cardinals Rumors: New trade target, Arenado frustration, Mozeliak hypocrisy

Cardinals Rumors: John Mozeliak is a hypocrite

If John Mozeliak isn’t careful, he could be the scapegoat the Cardinals fanbase is chasing out of St. Louis. For now, though, that role belongs to Oli Marmol, who has managed a once-playoff bound team into the ground.

On Wednesday, Mozeliak shot down the possibility of a meaningful trade, at least right now.

“If I had to say one thing it’s the inconsistency of the club,” Mozeliak said. “To really get back to our winning ways has to start from within. The short answer is get healthy and start winning games.”

To win games, the Cardinals need to find help elsewhere. The current crop isn’t cutting it, and Mozeliak knows this. He’s also stalling, a tactic which will ultimately force his hand to sell at the trade deadline.

Mozeliak previously stated that he wanted to add to his current team prior to the deadline, and wasn’t in a position to sell just yet. However, by doing nothing, he’s made a statement after all.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, rival executives think the Cards could be a surprise seller at the deadline. Passan even theorized that they could take calls on first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who has just a year left on his contract after the 2023 season.

"“The front-office officials are split on whether Jack Flaherty will be traded before the deadline; they don’t expect Jordan Montgomery, who could get a qualifying offer, to go unless St. Louis simply bottoms out,” Passan said. “…Might the Cardinals consider moving reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt? With one year left on his contract, Goldschmidt would be a tremendous fit in the middle of any lineup — though with a full no-trade clause, he would need to be on board with any deal for it to happen.”"

Were that to happen, Mozeliak should be ashamed of himself. St. Louis has plenty of talent on the roster, but holes in the wrong places — like the starting rotation — that he has failed to address. That should be his top priority right now.