Cardinals’ President John Mozeliak Looks to Rebuild Pitching Staff for 2024
ST. LOUIS — In a surprising move, St. Louis Cardinals’ team president John Mozeliak announced that the organization will shift its focus to rebuilding for the 2024 season. This decision comes as the Cardinals have fallen well below expectations for the 2023 season and show little promise of making a late-season playoff push.
Mozeliak emphasized the importance of addressing the team’s pitching, an area that was largely neglected during the previous offseason. He admitted that this strategic shift will be crucial in determining how quickly the Cardinals can recover from what has been a disappointing season.
“I definitely think we’re going to treat the trading deadline as pitching, pitching, pitching, right? I think the goal would be to address as much pitching as possible,” Mozeliak stated.
The Cardinals’ decision to rebuild midseason is a departure from their usual stance of competitiveness. The organization has had 15 straight winning seasons and has made the playoffs in each of the past four years. However, with a 10-24 start and an 8-15 slump in June, the front office felt that rallying late in the season would be unlikely and major changes were necessary.
“Well, it’s definitely different,” Mozeliak acknowledged. “I don’t know if I would use the phrase, ‘not trying to compete.’ I mean, obviously, if there are people that are getting moved out of here, that’s just going to create more opportunity for someone else. I feel like with where this club’s at right now, we just know it’s not working intact, and so we do know we have to make some changes.”
The Cardinals’ pitching staff has been a major concern this season, with both the starting rotation and bullpen struggling. The starting staff has a 4.74 ERA, ranking 25th in MLB, while the relievers have a 4.50 ERA with 21 blown saves, the most in MLB. Mozeliak acknowledged the need for improvement in this area and mentioned that Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz are the only two current starters under contract for 2024.
As part of the rebuilding process, the Cardinals may consider trading high-profile pending free agents such as Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty in search of long-term pitching help. Mozeliak expressed confidence in the team’s ability to add pitching through available resources and indicated that evaluating pitchers based on swing-and-miss capability would be a priority.
The decision to rebuild also highlights the disappointment surrounding the signing of free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, who has struggled this season. Mozeliak admitted that the team should have added more starting pitching and bullpen depth.
The Cardinals have already made some changes to the roster, designating reliever Genesis Cabrera for assignment and signing reliever Ryan Tepera. They also plan to return Tyler O’Neill to a starting role in left field and showcase him for potential trades. Manager Oliver Marmol revealed that the starting outfield would feature Lars Nootbaar in center, Jordan Walker in right, and O’Neill in left, leaving Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson with limited playing time.
Mozeliak made it clear that cornerstone stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are not actively being shopped in trade talks. He believes that they will play vital roles in the Cardinals’ return to contention in 2024. Despite the possibility of a hot streak, Mozeliak stated that the team’s plans to focus on rebuilding for 2024 are unlikely to change.
“Do performance, wins, losses change our direction? I would say probably not at this point,” Mozeliak admitted. “I think with where we are and where we are in the standings, it’s going to make [a rally] very difficult to change. From our standpoint on how we’re thinking about using our energy and time, it won’t change.”
As the Cardinals shift their focus towards the future, fans will eagerly await the team’s moves during the impending trading deadline and the offseason. The organization’s ability to rebuild the pitching staff will be crucial in determining whether they can quickly bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season and contend once again in 2024.