Mozeliak excited about acquisition of Redbirds

Memphis, Tenn. -- A little bit of disappointment capped the day for Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. The Cards formally announced their purchase of the Redbirds and long-term lease of AutoZone Park on Friday, but the Cardinals-Redbirds exhibition game was washed out by rain.

"It was exciting to finally get the keys to the building, and it would have been special to have this game, had we better luck with the weather," Mozeliak said.

During presentations to city officials in the last year, the Cardinals outlined several improvements they planned to make to the park.

"Obviously, the improvements will have to wait until the end of this season, but one of our goals is to get much of the upgrades in place for 2015," said Mozeliak. "Once the season starts, we may look to see what makes the most sense for this year and future years.

"I've always been a big fan of this ballpark and Minor League baseball in Memphis. ... I think it's about putting a product out there that we can be proud of and the city of Memphis can be proud of and embrace."