Mozeliak and the Cardinals should expect some ridicule for signing Peralta. The move comes in the immediate aftermath of considerable āCardinal Wayā evangelizing throughout the 2013 season. Does the āCardinal Wayā accommodate drug cheats? That's the snarky way of asking the question. It's also a fair question to ask _ even if it does miss the point.
The so-called Cardinal Way is and never was a statement on morality. It's about an approach to baseball, and a philosophy that's instilled from the top to the bottom of the organization. How to play the game, how to be a good teammate, how to foster a winning environment, etc.
Never mind the minor details; the āCardinal Wayā understandably makes for an easy target. And the Cardinals presumably knew that before giving a huge deal to Peralta, who served that 50-game suspension in '13.
Truth is the Cardinals have never viewed PED suspicions or the taint of PEDs as a deal killer or the basis for terminating a working relationship. Some of the PED-connected names include Mark McGwire, Troy Glaus, Fernando Vina, Ryan Franklin, Larry Bigbie, Gary Bennett. And those are just the guys we know about through the āofficialā Mitchell Report and media reports. The Cardinals' retired and venerated manager, Tony La Russa, has been called out repeatedly for the steroids proliferation in the Oakland clubhouse during his seasons there.