Mozeliak talks Cardinals' May surge, Deadline and more

This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS – With the Cardinals content to stand pat and make 2025 more about development than contending, John Mozeliak had one of the quietest winters of his time as the club’s president of baseball operations.

Ironically, standing pat has seemingly done wonders for a Cardinals club that shook off a shaky start and went 20-7 from April 28 to May 28.

Mozeliak, who will step aside from his current role at the end of the season, is reveling in the blossoming of the club’s young talent and how it has surprised many with its stirring play. A rugged June schedule could determine how things play out in July when Mozeliak must make the difficult decision about being buyers or sellers at the Trade Deadline. Mozeliak recently conducted a question-and-answer session with MLB.com on the start to the 2025 season.

Q: Your team has played exceptionally well over the last month, How does your record compare to your expectations and how pleasantly surprised are you?

Mozeliak: “I get that question asked a lot right now, but I'm not really that surprised. When you go around the diamond and you look at the everyday club, you can see why we're having some success. When you look at our starting rotation, you can see why we're having some success. I think the bullpen is probably the one area that has changed since we broke camp, but we have pieces that we've been able to plug and play that have been helping out and being productive. And when you look at some of the depth we have down at Memphis, it gives you confidence that we can navigate some tough things.

“If you think about it, we've already played [four] doubleheaders. My point is, with the schedule and the weather, there's been a lot of things that have been headwinds for us, but yet we're figuring out ways to still win. So, when I look at this club and I hear people say, ‘Are you surprised?’ The answer is no. What I am is, I'm impressed because people are taking advantage of the opportunities they've been given, and they've been making the most of it.”

Q: Since a shaky start, the club has stabilized and played great. Is it sustainable?

Mozeliak: “When you go back to [April 23], things were not looking great for us. But if you go back to that 10-15 record, we were in every game but one and our takeaway was that if things had just gone a different way, maybe we could have been a .500 club or slightly above. Internally, with the staff, Oli [Marmol] and the players, we felt like, ‘OK, we're not that far off. Then, in May, we were on the right side of those things that went wrong and what's changed is now you're seeing a team play with more confidence. Now, they know they can win.”

Q: How does this success change your original mindset of this season being about opportunity? How do you balance opportunity and winning?

Mozeliak: “Well, we certainly do [want to win]. Oli and his staff have done an amazing job balancing playing opportunity with trying to find ways to win, which is a tough puzzle to solve. We are trying to give guys those at bats and those innings, but we also know that we’re in games, and when you're in games, you want to win.”

Q: Jordan Walker's on pace for more than 500 at-bats, while Nolan Gorman is on pace for more than 300. Are you happy with the opportunities those two are getting?

Mozeliak: “Jordan has taken really positive steps and defensively, he's a different player. I think offensively, you're starting to see some of the things they're working on [in the batting cages] that will play better in games. Gorman hasn't gotten the opportunity that maybe we envisioned, but part of that was some of the things we thought we would do in the offseason [with the trade of Nolan Arenado] that didn't happen. So, we’re trying to balance that with still giving him opportunities.”

Q: Speaking of Arenado, you said in Jupiter that you thought Nolan would have a great year. How impressed are you with the way he's played?

Mozeliak: “I've always believed in him as a player. He's an elite, special player. When he’s got it going, it's amazing and fun to watch. In terms of how he's contributing to us, it's been great because he's giving us good at bats and he is still playing at a platinum glove level defensively. He's been a real benefit to our club. So, right now, we are where we are [with his trade status], so let's just enjoy it.”

Q: I heard you say on a recent interview that you hope there are a lot of tough decisions at the Trade Deadline. How do you anticipate things playing out at the deadline? Do you think you think you'll have the freedom to add?

Mozeliak: “Well, what I've told everybody is, let's just be patient and see what we look like, but I do hope it's complicated. Again, I don't know what we will look like or how things will play out for us over the next couple of months. But, right now, with the way we're playing, it's been enjoyable, and I really think that it's been fun for the city.”

Q: Knowing that it's your last go around in this job with the Cards, how much are you enjoying this success? Have there been points along the way where you think, ‘Wow, this might be my last time coming to Baltimore with this team, or last time doing this or that?

Mozeliak: “I haven't reflected in those terms. Obviously, that's all highly probable that it’s the last time I come with the Cardinals on a trip like this. But it's not like driving how I make decisions or what we do. I love the camaraderie with these guys, how close the team and a lot of our staff members are, and that’s part I'm sure I'm going to miss. But this was my decision to move on, and so there's no looking back at that right now. Really, it’s something I want to enjoy and embrace.”