Last year, I spent the time immediately after the season examining each player that had made an appearance in St. Louis during the season. This series was well received and so I’m bringing this idea back for the 2013 offseason. More summaries than anything, I imagine the player coming into Mike Matheny‘s (well, in this case, Bill DeWitt’s) office and having a short conference before heading home for the winter. Stats are just the ones accumulated for the Cardinals during the regular season.
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Overall grade: A
Positives: If you ever had any doubts about Mozeliak’s wizardry, this past week probably put those to rest. Being able to solve almost all the team’s problems without giving up any of the major trade chips is basically Time Lord territory. Even before that, though, he’s been pretty impressive. He held firm on not bringing in a veteran starter mid-season, instead letting the young kids play. He got something for Mitchell Boggs even when it looked like he wasn’t worth much to other teams, but more importantly got him away from Matheny’s loyal usage. You name a facet of this job, including sartorial splendor, and Mo’s right there at the top of the lists.
Negatives: The man’s not perfect, however, and Ty Wigginton will attest to that. Signing Wigginton to a two-year deal was head-scratching, especially from this savvy GM. It does seem (without significant research) that Mozeliak’s been a bit better at trades than free agent signings, but it’s probably not a huge gap. We’ve not seen Mo in a scarf lately either, something that really needs to be rectified.
Outlook: Since Mozeliak took over, the Cards have been winning on the field and have developed the best farm system in the game. A couple more years like these last few and Mo’s name will be in the Bing Devine neighborhood of best Cardinal general managers ever.