Cardinals Execute Final Mozeliak Trade Deadline With Future Focus

The St. Louis Cardinals, under the leadership of outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, made a series of conservative trades at the 2025 trade deadline by moving expiring relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz to various teams. These moves signaled a philosophical shift toward building for the long-term future rather than immediate success, despite criticism that the returns were lackluster given the strong market for relievers. Mozeliak acknowledged the focus was on acquiring minor-league talent rather than immediately major-league-ready players and chose not to trade controllable position players, citing a lack of offers that were sufficiently compelling. Fans and analysts expressed disappointment with the Cardinals' limited activity, especially given the interest from other teams in players like Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar, which Mozeliak said they were open to considering but did not find the timing right. This deadline contrasted with previous years when Mozeliak made more aggressive moves, such as acquiring Matt Holliday, reflecting a clear pivot to a rebuilding phase. The Braves, in comparison, made minimal moves that frustrated fans, dealing only minor assets and failing to trade Marcell Ozuna, who holds trade veto rights, highlighting a general trend of cautious trade deadlines among some teams.