John Mozeliak admits he's being selfish by destroying the Cardinals 2025 chances

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have plans for the winter. While John Mozeliak made an appearance at the GM Meetings and will surely do so again at the Winter Meetings in Texas, he's already tempered expectations for the front office as they pivot away from marquee free-agent signings and build for the future.

To be fair, St. Louis does have a lot of young talent, specifically in Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson, among others. If Jordan Walker can ever get out of his own way, perhaps he'll hit like the top prospect the Cardinals once hoped he could be. But there is no kidding Mozeliak or Cards fans. This team finished double-digit games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and is voluntarily getting worse in the offseason.

Mozeliak knows he'll have some tough questions to answer from fans prior to spring training. Cardinals fans are among the most passionate in the sport. They expect to win every year, but haven't made the postseason since 2022. What gives?

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John Mozeliak let his own timeline get in the way of Cardinals success

“I think the last few years maybe we weren’t focused on where we can squeeze a little more out of the fruit, and instead we were trying to squeeze a little more for payroll. Over the past couple of years, the timing of my situation, it’s now that time to hit that reset and try to reposition ourselves to have another great run," Mozeliak said, per The Athletic.

The most alarming part of this statement isn't that the Cardinals are considering putting a lesser product on the field next year – though that is concerning in its own right – but that Mozeliak let his own career path get in the way of roster makeup. While Mozeliak is human, it's surprising to hear him admit such a thing out loud, and it's an indictment of all his work the past few years.

“Our team is not going to look all that different,” Mozeliak continued. “As we navigate the next four to eight weeks, it is going to be how can we better our club or how can we better our future? What does that look like? We are going to find pathways to give our younger players a chance to play and see what they can do.”

Chaim Bloom will take over as president of baseball operations in 2025. With that plan already in place, Bloom ought to get final say over any moves the Cardinals make this winter, or risk dealing with the consequences in a year's time.