St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals‘ leadership have made one poor decision after another in recent years. Furthermore, ownership needs to hold the top decision maker, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak accountable.
The Cardinal Way
The organization has been one of the most successful franchises in baseball. A big reason for this has been their ability to evolve with the times. An organization that has been consistently at the forefront of innovation in the game of baseball now find themselves plummeting in the standings.
The term “The Cardinal Way” has been a philosophy of great fundamental baseball combined with innovative leadership and a knack for developing home grown talent. A philosophy that has been passed down year after year.
If the Cardinals’ front office doesn’t make some changes quickly that term could take on a completely different meaning. Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, “The Cardinal Way” seemingly has been making terrible free agent signings, poor trades and several questionable extensions. They put teams on the field that are just good enough to compete in a weak division. This approach has led to several playoff appearances but they have not fared well in the post-season. They have lost 15 of their last 22 postseason games.
Cardinals’ Leadership Unwilling to Adapt
Mozeliak has been unable to build a strong starting rotation due to his outdated philosophies. The pitch-to-contact approach has long expired. Furthermore, pitchers with swing and miss stuff are what’s needed to get anywhere in the playoffs. That has been proven repeatedly over the past decade. The sad part is the Cardinals are ranked fifth in the majors at money spent on the starting rotation. That is money that obviously has not been spent well.
Mozeliak’s failures in free agency have been mind-numbing. The repeatedly bad signings have slowly destroyed what the organization had built from the mid-nineties through 2011. He has been responsible for over 370 million dollars spent in free agency. That spending has produced a paltry 23.1 bWAR combined. Mozeliak has been completely inept in the free agent market.
Only Yes Men Need Apply
Mozeliak’s poor choices for managers have been overshadowed by his terrible record in free agency. However, the choices he’s made in that area have been equally damaging to the organization.
Cardinals’ leadership has hired three managers in a row that had zero major league management experience from within the organization. Mozeliak and company seemingly only want yes-men in that position. Fans that constantly blame the coaching staff for the team’s failures may want to shift the blame to the man that hired them to begin with. At this point what experienced manager would even want the job? It’s obvious the front office wants complete control.
Time For Big Changes Within Cardinals’ Leadership
The time is now for a complete overhaul. Otherwise, the prime years of Goldschmidt and Arenado will be wasted. There is no excuse for not going all in with these two on the roster. They need to stop placing unreasonable value on their prospects and make the moves to win now. If the Cardinals’ leadership can’t make that happen it’s time to clean house. They should fire Mozeliak along with the entire coaching staff. Also, if the DeWitt family doesn’t make this happen, it may be time for them to sell. Cardinal nation is losing their patience and rightfully so.
