51ºÚÁÏ

Here in Middle America 2025, our city is split down the middle. Divided and divisive. It’s a combustible time, isn’t it? Fingers are pointed like swinging swords. Dissidence turns into disses. So little is agreed upon.

Yet 51ºÚÁÏ seemingly comes together when it pertains to one particular topic.

Mo.

51ºÚÁÏ seems united that John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, is responsible for the demise of the beloved civic institution that is the local ballclub.

The past three seasons have been rough — and the minor league system eroded. I wrote numerous columns last year that said Mo needed to go. But listen. With his replacement ready and the Cards playing their final homestand of 2025, I must state this loudly: John Mozeliak also deserves respect for his accomplishments in 51ºÚÁÏ.

You can dislike Mo, blame Mo, tweet about Mo, make memes about Mo — or whatever you do to express frustration in a social media world — but you also must recognize what he did to provide you the best of times.

Mozeliak’s first regular season as the boss was 2008. So he was in charge for 18 seasons. In his first 15 seasons, the Cardinals made the playoffs 10 times.

That is exemplary.

The bespectacled executive in a bow tie built winners. It began with the team’s 2009 resurgence, thanks in part to a franchise-shaping trade. The Cards were 52-46 when they traded for Oakland’s Matt Holliday on July 23. From that point on, 51ºÚÁÏ went 38-25. Holliday had a 1.023 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) while wearing the birds on the bat that year. Mozeliak had his first postseason team.

Two years later, he had his first postseason champion.

The 2011 Cardinals, forever part of local lore, famously soared in the final five weeks to capture the wild card on the last day. And Mozeliak’s midseason deal was vital — he sent a 24-year-old Colby Rasmus to Toronto. Mo’s haul included starter Edwin Jackson (3.53 ERA for 51ºÚÁÏ in 2011), reliever Octavio Dotel (3.28 ERA and some amazing innings in the postseason) and reliever Marc Rzepczynski (3.97 ERA and some amazing innings in the postseason).

Mozeliak’s 2011 team knocked off the 100-win Phillies in the National League Division Series and the division-rival Brewers in the NL Championship Series. In the World Series, perhaps you recall, the Cardinals were down three games to two against Texas. In Game 6, 51ºÚÁÏ trailed by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Two on, two outs, two strikes — and the fellow Mo acquired in his first-ever trade hit a triple to tie it.

David Freese later won the game for his hometown team with a walk-off home run in the 11th.

And the Cards won Game 7 the next night — what a team, what a ride.

Even if Mozeliak moved on at that point, he would’ve been forever remembered as the architect of a champion in 51ºÚÁÏ. Instead, it was just the beginning of a stunning run.

And without Albert Pujols.

The great slugger signed with the Angels after 2011, yet the Cards made the NLCS in 2012, the World Series in 2013 and the NLCS in 2014. So four straight years they made baseball’s “final four.� And then in 2015, the Cardinals won 100 games — but then lost to the Cubs in the NLDS.

And Mo got stars to stay. Holliday. Adam Wainwright. Yadier Molina. Matt Carpenter.

All along, Mozeliak’s clubs flourished due to shrewd signings, timely trades and unparalleled player development in that era. A former scouting director, Mozeliak grew a farm system that produced so much young talent — which, of course, was cheap labor on the big league roster. This helped the Cards thrive without overspending. From 2011-24, per Spotrac, the Cardinals’ payroll averaged a ranking of 10.8 in Major League Baseball (for most of the years, they were ranked somewhere between ninth and 12th).

Now, from 2016-18, the Cardinals missed the playoffs each season. It felt astonishing. Though, some of that was because Mozeliak had raised the bar so high — perhaps too high. In those three seasons, the club did stay over .500 (with 86, 83 and 88 wins). And then in 2019, Mozeliak’s manager Mike Shildt led the Cards back to the postseason — and even back to the NLCS for the first time in a half-decade.

The Cards lost in the wild card the next three seasons — 2020, 2021 and 2022 — and the ’22 club featured MVP Paul Goldschmidt (traded for by Mo), superstar at the time Nolan Arenado (traded for by Mo) and ... Pujols (wooed home by Mo for one last run).

51ºÚÁÏ proceeded to miss the playoffs in 2023, 2024 and, likely, 2025.

In Mo’s nearly two decades in charge, there were innumerable moves, many cheered, some jeered. There were hirings and firings (many cheered, some jeered). And until recently, fans sure came, 3 million per season. And the on-field success led to growth right behind the field — Ballpark Village blossomed. So much money was made. And now, the Cardinals are revamping their spring home in Jupiter, Florida.

Look, for many, many years there, Mo set the standard for an executive in the baseball industry — proud of the past but creatively forward-thinking with analytics. These days, other executives have caught up. Some have passed him. There are modern Mozeliaks now, some in the Cardinals’ very own division.

When this 2025 season ends, Chaim Bloom will replace Mozeliak.

In recent seasons, 51ºÚÁÏ fans have taken to booing Mozeliak at Busch Stadium. But gosh, if the team honors Mo on Sunday, here’s hoping the fans thank him.

Yes, the past three years have been a disappointing and even disheartening experience. But the 15 years prior? They happened. The playoff wins happened. The pennants happened. And 2011 happened.

So much success and so many smiles, all inspired by the work of John Mozeliak.