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Weeks before the latest Hollywood blockbuster dropped around the holiday, with lefty Blake Snell reportedly raking in more from the star-studded Dodgers than "Wicked" made in its weekend opening worldwide, John Mozeliak stood in the same room just a few feet away from several of baseball鈥檚 biggest spenders and considered a widening gap between them.

鈥淭he disparity sides of our game right now are real,鈥� he said.

At the same time half of the clubs in the majors braced for revenue spasms due to uncertain or revised broadcast contracts, the World Series champion Dodgers, Mets and a familiar cast of ballpark barons were well-positioned to spend, spend, spend this shopping season.

A year after a $1 billion binge on a free-agent haul that included two-way Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers deferred any hesitation and beat the Black Friday rush with this winter鈥檚 first whopper, a five-year, $182 million deal announced earlier this week. On deck: Juan Soto鈥檚 record windfall and the handful of teams willing to bid at that level.

Mozeliak, the Cardinals鈥� president of baseball operations entering his final year in that role, didn鈥檛 need to stand on the same floor as his front office peers to feel the game tilting.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a challenge for Major League Baseball leadership to understand: How do we remain with some level of competitive balance when there are so many teams with so much higher revenues than the lower end?鈥� he continued. 鈥淣ow us? We鈥檝e always sort of punched above our weight, so to speak. But now we鈥檙e having the realization we鈥檙e going to be affected by our media package, we are going to be affected by our ticket sales.

鈥淪o our reality is changing.鈥�

And with it, their pitch to fans. From the outset of this offseason, the Cardinals have advertised a plan to trim payroll (they have) and shift toward youth (they鈥檝e started).

They are not pursuing this winter鈥檚 headliners like Snell or Soto, and Mozeliak has downplayed the likelihood of spending much on free agents. The Cardinals have been more active in trade discussions, depth moves and outfitting a development staff. They expect to field interest in several pitchers, including Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz.

They鈥檝e approached a limited number of teams to ascertain interest in All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, the Post-Dispatch reported a week ago, and those talks simmer as next month鈥檚 annual MLB winter meetings approach. Arenado has not requested a trade, sources said. He鈥檚 only been asked what he鈥檇 prefer and if he鈥檇 drop his no-trade clause for the right move. If one develops, then the Cardinals will present it to Arenado.

The Cardinals are exploring if there鈥檚 a trade that benefits them and satisfies Arenado鈥檚 wish to play for a championship-caliber club.

When Arenado declined to opt out of his contract two years ago, he believed the Cardinals would continue to be that club.

In a shift, they are not claiming to be. Mozeliak鈥檚 last offseason at the helm is the first in his tenure the Cardinals are not professing their goal is to contend; to win the National League Central; to, in his words, 鈥渂uild the best possible roster we can.鈥� Rebuilding and rethinking an eroded development program are the goals.

They鈥檝e talked about the what and the how of their 鈥渞eset.鈥�

But why?

More specifically: Why now?

That was the question the Post-Dispatch posed to Mozeliak.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 more the sum of your parts,鈥� he said. 鈥淚s this sustainable forever? And it鈥檚 been a good run when you think about it. I know this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-now kind of business. But when you look at us as a whole, there has been a lot of (success) in the franchise. We did it trying to be innovative, trying to be cutting edge, and I think the last few years, we weren鈥檛 as focused on where we can squeeze a little more out of the fruit. Instead, we were trying to squeeze a little more from payroll.鈥�

Mozeliak agreed that a confluence of events led to this timing.

The past two seasons and five years without a playoff series win were an influence, but so too was financial uncertainty in the immediate future.

Before reworking their broadcast deal with Diamond Sports Group, the Cardinals were not sure if they would take a cut of anywhere from 20% to 40% on their expected rights fees for 2025. (They completed it at a 23% reduction, per a source.) That concern prompted the club to expediently shed $30 million by declining options for 2025.

The expiration of Paul Goldschmidt鈥檚 contract was also a consideration.

Plus, the Cardinals expect ticket sales to slow due to two years without a postseason appearance and an irritated fan base. This past week, the Cardinals held their 鈥淩ed Friday鈥� ticket sales and made single-game tickets available far earlier. Last year, they went on sale in January聽鈥� but the Cardinals responded to an industry trend to make single-game tickets, from opening day to the Yankees in August and beyond, available before the holidays.

Another factor was the year remaining on Mozeliak鈥檚 contract, which he had said would be his last in his role since he signed the deal.

Team Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. 鈥渁nd I talked a couple of years ago about what the exit strategy would look like,鈥� Mozeliak said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been something on the table. I think this past year, when we brought in Chaim (Bloom), he took a little peek behind-the-curtain type of thing, and I think it brought a realization that some of the things we should be investing in should begin now.鈥�

So the answer to 鈥渨hy now鈥� is partly: Why wait?

Brought in a year ago as an adviser, Bloom will spend this coming year leading a revamp of the minor league system and end it as the Cardinals鈥� new president of baseball operations, taking over for Mozeliak.

Among Bloom鈥檚 first moves have been filling out a staff that had gone years with some notable openings. The Cardinals hired Rob Cerfolio as an assistant general manager to oversee player development, placing the farm system and performance department under his watch.

The Cardinals have a farm director, performance director and several coordinator positions yet to fill. On Wednesday, Mariners pitching coordinator Matt Pierpont revealed on social media that he had accepted a position as the Cardinals鈥� director of pitching.

The Cardinals acknowledge they鈥檝e slipped behind their peers with modern player development and player support. They plan to invest in facilities and technology while expanding the staff. During the closing weeks of the regular season, manager Oliver Marmol spoke often about player development, the tools accessible in the big leagues that needed to spread to the minors, and restoring an organizational ethos:

鈥淚t was important to develop guys who understand what it takes to win, not just develop a skill set," he said. "That鈥檚 part of preparing a guy to play according to what the scoreboard said once you鈥檙e here. It鈥檚 a learned trait.鈥�

He called it 鈥渄eveloping winners.鈥�

And that is where other like-minded and like-sized clubs are turning to close the financial gap that is growing in the game. If a club cannot bid on stars in the open market, they must develop them from within. If a club cannot lure stars to their market, they must develop enough talent to trade for them聽鈥� and change their mind.

It鈥檚 a model the Cardinals have utilized before. They look to upgrade it with modern amenities.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e investing in R&D infrastructure, you need people to be able to run it,鈥� said Minnesota Twins president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey. 鈥淭hese are the things that we have invested in, and it鈥檚 made us better. It鈥檚 made our minor league system better, and it鈥檚 giving us a chance to have that pipeline. It鈥檚 a real investment and the growth of that in across the industry has been significant.鈥�

So the answer to 鈥渨hy now鈥� for the Cardinals is also: What took so long?

Over the past few years, when the minor league system did not provide the starting pitching required or the tent-pole hitter needed to contend, the Cardinals traded for Arenado, Goldschmidt and outfielder Marcell Ozuna or for shorter-term pitching solutions.

When they needed pitching, pitching, pitching a year ago and did not have it arriving from the minors, they committed around $100 million to three free agents. They did not get the return in the standings for their 鈥渃hasing鈥� approach with the roster.

At the same time, other teams asserted themselves in the standings and a club like the Dodgers, a thoroughly modern organization with infrastructure galore, emerged as a star magnet.

The Cardinals have studiously avoided using the world 鈥渞ebuild鈥澛犫�� which makes more sense when considering the factors pushing them into this pivot. They鈥檙e not rebuilding what they were. They must build what it takes to become a contender now.

So the answer to 鈥渨hy now鈥� is less essential than another question:

What鈥檚 next?

鈥�(Results) over the past couple of years, the timing of my situation, and collective other reasons, now is the time to hit that reset,鈥� Mozeliak said. 鈥淎nd reposition ourselves to have another great run.鈥�