Cardinals and Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman Scott Rolen, right, throws out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, to current third baseman Nolan Arenado before a game against the Mets at Busch Stadium. Rolen, in throwing out the first pitch, represented the newest class of Cardinals Hall of Fame inductees.
Before he could pack up the suite at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and begin to pick up the pieces following Tony La Russa鈥檚 comments on Scott Rolen鈥檚 trade request, John Mozeliak knew one of his first moves as Cardinals general manager would also be one of his most difficult.
Nearly 17 years ago, reporters sat in the club鈥檚 hotel room and asked Mozeliak about La Russa鈥檚 statements that he took Rolen鈥檚 request 鈥渧ery personal鈥 and he saw no need to 鈥渁ccommodate Scott.鈥 Post-Dispatch baseball writer Joe Strauss reported the comments 鈥渟eemingly ended any hope for a diplomatic resolution.鈥
Mozeliak had a cornerstone player eager to leave with millions left on a contract and a no-trade clause, and he was about to turn this bind into a trade for an All-Star, everyday player. All within a few months of a promotion.
Welcome to the 鈥渂ig chair,鈥 as execs call it.
Here were the Cardinals, in Mozeliak鈥檚 first winter meetings leading baseball operations, exploring potential trades for their All-Star third baseman 鈥 a future Hall of Famer.
And as the Cardinals near Mozeliak鈥檚 final winter meetings at the helm, here they are again.
Over the past week, the Cardinals continued reaching out to a few clubs and gauging interest in trading for All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, multiple sources told the Post-Dispatch. If any of these talks produce an appealing deal that could place Arenado with an championship-chasing or contending team, the Cardinals plan to present that to their third baseman, who has millions left on his contract and a no-trade clause.
While there are notable similarities between the two situations 17 years apart, there is also a massive difference: the tone.
Arenado has not requested a trade, sources confirmed.
Arenado, 33, pursued a trade from Colorado to the Cardinals ahead of the 2021 season and reworked his contract and dropped his no-trade clause to make it possible. For example: He agreed to defer salary owed by the Rockies and by the Cardinals though did so interest-free for the Cardinals. The eight-time All-Star has three years and $74 million remaining on his contract. Its complexity, like cost, is a factor in any discussions.
Meanwhile in the marketplace, several contending teams who could shop for a third baseman, like the Phillies and Yankees, are involved in wooing free-agent megastar Juan Soto with reports of in-person meetings.
Arenado is coming off a full season with a career-low .394 slugging percentage. He hit .272, played 152 games and was deft defensively as a finalist for what would have been his 11th Gold Glove Award. Only Brooks Robinson has more at third.
The Cardinals advertised a 鈥渞eset鈥 for 2025. Their plan is to 鈥済o young鈥 and reduce payroll with an eye toward the future. Mozeliak approached veteran players with no-trade clauses and explained the shift in approach after they came to the club, as Arenado did, with the intent to contend annually. Mozeliak explained he would explore trades if a player wished.
The Cardinals are not motivated entirely by shedding salary after declining options, trimming $30 million in potential spending for 2025, and securing a new, though reduced, broadcast agreement for the next few seasons. Ownership said the team has payroll "clarity." That allows them to explore deals that gives the club a favorable return and the veteran player a favorable destination to win, if possible.聽
Willson Contreras told the Cardinals he wanted to stay in 最新杏吧原创 and would relocate from catcher to first base. Sources described how pitcher Sonny Gray expressed a preference to remain with the Cardinals as well. When he signed a three-year, $75-million deal a year ago this month, Gray chose the Cardinals over a strong offer from Arizona and interest from Cincinnati because of their history and proximity to his home outside of Nashville.聽
Mozeliak declined to disclose any specifics from his talks with other players or interested teams.
鈥淩ight now, we鈥檝e publicly stated our strategy,鈥 Mozeliak said Wednesday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to allow some time for that to develop and what it might end up looking like. For now, I imagine this pace will take us into the winter meetings.鈥
Those begin Dec. 9 in Dallas.
The reflection now with 17 years ago isn鈥檛 just at third base.
鈥淭his is a tricky, confusing time for the franchise,鈥 Post-Dispatch sports columnist Bernie Miklasz wrote for the Dec. 6, 2007, edition. He elaborated with ellipses for effect: 鈥淭he Cardinals aren鈥檛 terrible ... and they aren鈥檛 good. The Cardinals aren鈥檛 in full rebuilding mode ... but an overhaul is required.鈥
Coming off a losing season in 2007, the Cardinals made a change atop baseball operations and named Mozeliak general manager. They also signed Hall of Fame manager La Russa to a two-year extension. Rolen and Mozeliak were already close, and the third baseman requested a trade. His request became public. One year removed from winning a World Series championship together, a manager and player鈥檚 frayed relationship had come apart.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hugs manager Oliver Marmol in celebrating his walk-off single in the ninth inning of the Cardinals鈥 4-3 win over the Padres on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
鈥淪peaking with Scott, and he basically said that 鈥業 consider you a friend, but I want out,鈥欌 Mozeliak recalled. 鈥淭hat was tough to hear. I thought the club that we had in 鈥07 鈥 because of injuries and other factors, we underachieved. Even keeping this group together we had a chance to be better in 2008. Of course, nowhere was I thinking he would want out at that point. I was surprised. Needless to say, the next two or three months became quite singularly focused on how to make that work.鈥
A potential trade with Milwaukee stalled.
A tenuous truce as the winter meetings in Nashville approached led Mozeliak to predict Rolen would remain a Cardinal for 2008.
La Russa鈥檚 comments on the final full day of the meetings upset that.
鈥淪peaking for me ... there鈥檚 absolutely no intention to accommodate Scott,鈥 La Russa said at a gathering with reporters. 鈥淚 mean, that鈥檚 not how you run an organization. The idea is to accommodate the 最新杏吧原创 Cardinals, our team, our responsibility to our players and to the competition. ... If that deal isn鈥檛 one that helps us, (it) should not be made.鈥
The Cardinals had limited leverage, and any interested team knew it.
Rolen wanted to go to a contender. The Cardinals wanted to reassert they were one.
鈥淭hat was the big test,鈥 Mozeliak said Wednesday when asked about the trade talks that followed. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to move him for future value. It was really about: How can we keep this team moving forward?鈥
The Cardinals found commonality with birds of another feather.
At the same time Rolen wanted a trade, All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus privately approached the Blue Jays about moving away from Toronto鈥檚 artificial turf. He OK鈥檇 a deal to the Cardinals, and when Toronto included cash, a swap of third basemen was complete. In Rolen, the Jays got a multiple-time All-Star and World Series champion who already won seven of his eight Gold Gloves. In Glaus, the Cardinals got a multiple-time All-Star and World Series champion who had twice hit 40 homers in a season.
Glaus had two years remaining on his contract and had one full, healthy season for the Cardinals. He hit 27 homers with 99 RBIs on the strength of an .856 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), and he finished in the top three in voting for the Gold Glove at third.
Injuries limited Glaus to 29 at-bats in 2009. That same season, the return from Mozeliak鈥檚 first trade as GM debuted in the majors: third baseman David Freese.
Rolen spent a full season with Toronto before going to Cincinnati via trade and reuniting with executive Walt Jocketty, who originally acquired him for the Cardinals. Rolen was twice an All-Star with the Reds, and he retired after the 2012 season.
In July 2023, Rolen was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He鈥檚 wearing a Cardinals cap on his plaque.
That induction weekend at Cooperstown, New York, the Cardinals threw a party for Rolen.
Mozeliak and La Russa were both in attendance to celebrate alongside him.
