Cardinals Still Haunted By Crucial John Mozeliak Mistake

This mistake still haunts the Cardinals.

Jul 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak speaks before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have lost back-to-back games and appear to be coming back down to earth a little bit after a strong start to the 2026 season. Matthew Liberatore started on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and allowed six runs.

St. Louis acquired Liberatore from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 for Randy Arozarena and Jose Martinez, hoping he could strengthen their pitching pipeline. However, he now owns a 5.56 ERA on the season.

His struggles in the starting rotation continue to prove that the Cardinals are still haunted by this trade, which turned out to be a crucial mistake by former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.

Crucial Cardinals Trade Still Haunts Them

Jun 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This is one of many recent mistakes Mozeliak made in his final years at the helm of the Cardinals. The idea was that it could strengthen their pitching pipeline. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it didn't work out in their favor.

Arozarena ended up being named the ALCS MVP in 2020 with the Rays and even broke the all-time record for most home runs in a postseason. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2021.

Meanwhile, Liberatore hasn't become what the Cardinals expected him to be, so it might be time for a change soon. They could send Liberatore down to Triple-A Memphis, or even potentially move him to the bullpen.

But even though Arozarena is not still with the Rays, that trade continues to haunt the Cardinals. Until Liberatore finds his groove, either as a starter or in another role, the trade will continue to look worse for St. Louis.

Unless Liberatore can reach his potential, the Cardinals will have lost this trade, and that perception won't change in the minds of fans.

Arozarena is a two-time All-Star, while Liberatore has continued to struggle. The left-hander has shown flashes of his potential, but still has yet to become the frontline starter that the Cardinals hoped he would.

This trade continues to haunt the Cardinals, and it will until Liberatore figures out his issues or the Cardinals acquire some more pitching depth to improve their farm system for the future.

Liberatore continues to struggle, and now the time has come for the Cardinals to do something about this. They simply cannot keep giving him starts if he is going to struggle this way. Perhaps finding success in another role could soften the blow of the trade Mozeliak made back in 2020.