Even John Mozeliak's plan to ruin the Cardinals is failing miserably

St. Louis Cardinals fans have spent the past few weeks wrapping their heads around a seemingly inevitable rebuild. After years of slow and steady decline (punctuated by another missed postseason in 2024), the team set about overhauling its player development system, and lame-duck president John Mozeliak told anyone who would listen that St. Louis wanted to prioritize getting younger and leaner moving forward.

Which, while painful, made an unfortunate amount of sense. The Cardinals' foundation had been springing cracks for a while, and rather than trying to paper over them with a free-agent spending spree, why not take a small step back in the near term to set yourself up for the long term? The current core clearly wasn't good enough, and without a clear path to immediate contention, it was hard to argue with the idea that a reset seemed in order.

Of course, the problem with that plan is the same as the problem with the previous plan: the guy executing it. While the Cardinals are clearly ready to move on from Mozeliak, ownership inexplicably gave him one more season at the controls, and he seems to determined to do as little with it as possible. It's one thing to throw up your hands and admit that you no longer know how to field a contending team. But if you're going to insist on a rebuild, you need to actually, you know, follow through — and it appears that Mozeliak is failing to do just that.

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It sounds like the Cardinals aren't trading closer Ryan Helsley after all

While there's been plenty of speculation around high-priced veterans like Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray, easily the team's cleanest trade asset is closer Ryan Helsley. The 30-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, leading the Majors with 49 saves, and he's set to enter his final year of team control. Considering that Helsley is set to make some $8.5 million in arbitration in 2025, and considering that closer isn't exactly a priority for a team without World Series aspirations, flipping him to a contender while his value is highest feels like a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, Mozeliak doesn't seem to see it that way. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, "teams talking to the Cardinals are under the impression the team will hold Helsley," with Mozeliak himself saying "it’s something we will always remain open-minded to, but our plan is to have him be part of our organization."

Maybe this is all just pre-Winter Meetings posturing; if Mozeliak hasn't gotten an offer he likes just yet, signaling to other teams that St. Louis might just hang on to Helsley is a good way to exert some leverage. But Cardinals fans better be hoping that's the case, because if it's not, this is an inexcusable dereliction of duty. Helsley has battled injury issues in the past, and relievers are notoriously volatile from year to year. If St. Louis keeps him with an eye toward flipping him at the trade deadline if need be, the team runs the risk of an injury or a poor month or two dampening his market.

Helsley's value will never be higher than it is right now, with a full year of control remaining on the heels of an excellent season. It's clear that he's not going to be part of the next great Cardinals team, and while there are back-end options available in free agency, some team is sure to give up something of value for a season of lockdown closing work. That is, if Mozeliak is just willing to let them.