After reaching the World Series last season, the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to extend the contract of general manager John Mozeliak.
According to Major League Baseball on Twitter, the two-year extension means that Mozeliak is now contracted through the 2018 season:
The Cardinals organization is clearly thrilled with the job that Mozeliak has done as he was also extended last year, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Mozeliak has been the Cards’ GM since 2007, and although the team has experienced plenty of turnover during that time, St. Louis has consistently been one of the league’s best teams during his tenure.
The Cardinals have made four playoff appearances under Mozeliak, including two trips to the World Series. They fell to the Boston Red Sox last year, but Mozeliak oversaw St. Louis’ 11th World Series title in franchise history back in 2011.
Mozeliak was the one who made the difficult decision to let future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols leave via free agency a couple years ago, but the Cards haven’t missed a beat. While the huge contract that the Los Angeles Angels handed the injury-prone Pujols looks insane now, St. Louis has been able to replace him with value players.
The Cardinals are once again expected to contend for a National League pennant and perhaps even a World Series championship this season. They are off to a modest 5-5 start, but recent history suggests that they will ultimately rise to the top of the NL Central Division.
Based on everything that Mozeliak has accomplished in St. Louis, this extension seems like a great idea from the Cardinals’ perspective.
There is more parity in baseball now than there has been in a very long time, yet the Cards continue to put themselves in position to be successful.
With Mozeliak at the helm through at least 2018, that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
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