Speaking with reporters today, Mozeliak suggested he’s likely to delegate greater responsibilities to others in the baseball operations department over the coming seasons. “I know there is going to be some change coming over the next few years,” the president of baseball ops said (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “We certainly want to give individuals within the organization opportunities to grow and expand some of their roles, and over the course of the next year or so we’ll work through that.”

That’s with an eye on the franchise’s future leadership structure in mind. Longtime top lieutenant Mike Girsch has been in the organization since 2006 and served as general manager (second in responsibility) since 2017. He bypassed an opportunity to interview for the top job with the Mets over the 2021-22 offseason and signed a multi-year extension with St. Louis at the start of this winter. Girsch is clearly comfortable in his current role but could certainly garner renewed consideration to lead a front office down the line.

Meanwhile, assistant general manager/scouting director Randy Flores received a new multi-year deal at the same time as Girsch last fall. Special adviser Matt Slater drew some attention from the Tigers in their GM search this winter. Goold also writes that some within the industry believe AGM Moisés Rodríguez — who takes a key role in international scouting — could get a look to lead a baseball operations group at some point.

It seems the goal is to give members of that group greater influence in daily decision-making to prepare for potentially more significant work down the line. Mozeliak did not officially declare this would be his final contract or set any cutoff day for passing down top baseball ops autonomy, to be clear. However, he also hinted he was prepared to take on fewer responsibilities in the not too distant future. “Short-term, you’ll still get me for a little bit,” Mozeliak said (separate Goold link). “But as we get deeper into this contract there will be changes.” Goold reports that Mozeliak had considered pursuing opportunities outside the baseball industry in recent months before eventually deciding to remain in his current role.

Front office stability of the kind the Cardinals have enjoyed over the past decade and a half is rare. Only Brian Cashman and Kenny Williams have been at or alongside the top of their respective clubs’ baseball operations for longer than Mozeliak has. A pair of the sport’s longer-tenured front office heads — Oakland’s Billy Beane and Milwaukee’s David Stearns — moved into advisory capacities this offseason while turning over daily responsibilities to their respective longtime #2 executives, David Forst and Matt Arnold.

More from the NL Central…

• While many (myself included) have assumed that Reds closer Raisel Iglesias will opt into arbitration this offseason, as is his contractual right under the terms of his seven-year $27MM contract, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer explains that the scenario isn’t as likely as it seems. Iglesias’ deal with the Reds allows him to opt into arbitration in any offseason in which he is eligible, meaning he’ll have the opportunity to opt into arbitration next winter even if he forgoes that opportunity this winter. Under the current terms of his deal, Iglesias is guaranteed $4.5MM in 2018, Buchanan notes. While he could potentially make a bit more than that as a first-time arb player on the heels of a strong season as a closer, he’d be forfeiting the remaining $10MM on his contract to do so. By waiting until next offseason, he’d sacrifice only minimal earning power and protect himself against an injury or unexpected decline in 2018.
• Right-hander Trevor Williams has somewhat quietly made a strong case for a spot in the Pirates’ 2018 rotation, writes MLB.com’s Adam Berry. The Bucs are banking on Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova to hold down the top three spots in the rotation, and Williams’ quality run over his past 24 outings has perhaps earned him the next spot in the starting five. In that time, he’s worked to a 3.65 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 49.9 percent ground-ball rate. He’s averaged 5 2/3 innings per start in that time, so the Pirates would probably prefer to see him work deeper into games with greater frequency, but Williams certainly looks like a viable rotation piece moving forward.
• Brewers left-handed pitching prospect Nathan Kirby, who hasn’t pitched in two years due to a pair of elbow surgeries, is back on the mound in the team’s instructional league, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The former University of Virginia ace was at one point a projected top five pick in the 2015 draft but slipped to the Brewers at No. 40 overall that year due to injury concerns. Tommy John surgery cost Kirby the 2016 season, and he had a second elbow procedure earlier this year. While it’s hardly the start to his pro career that Kirby had envisioned, he’s not yet 24 years of age, so there’s certainly time for him to get back on track.