Q&A: Mozeliak reflects on 2016, looks ahead

ST. LOUIS — Though the Cardinals entered Tuesday one game out of playoff positioning, an afternoon session that general manager John Mozeliak held with the media took on an end-of-year feel, as many of the questions either elicited reflection on the season or thoughts about how the team will retool for 2017.

Amid the back-and-forth, Mozeliak offered a vote of confidence in manager Mike Matheny, assured that the team’s defensive makeup will be a priority this offseason and discussed where things stand regarding a possible extension for Brandon Moss.

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Here are those and some other highlights from the 18-minute discussion:

• On how he evaluates Matheny and the coaching staff as it relates to the season results:

“Mike takes a lot of heat, and I have defended him and I will continue to. I really feel like some of the things that we’re dealing with aren’t fair to put on the manager. I do feel like all of us are always held accountable for what we do here. There is nobody excluded from that. But having said that, I don’t look at him as we are where we are because of that.”

• On whether the team is still interested in exploring a contract …

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