DOWNTOWN — Before he and his baseball ops staff took a record plunge into international waters, St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak jetted down to the Dominican Republic to see for himself the player that had caught the eyes of his people.

Mozeliak met with outfielder Wagner Mateo. He met with Mateo’s representative, and he met with Mateo’s parents. Mozeliak said Thursday, the day the Cardinals announced they had agreed to terms with the 16-year-old Mateo on a contract and $3.1-million bonus, that he wanted to “humanize” the organization and the Cardinals’ interest in signing the teen.

“The main purpose was going down there to get an understanding of their expectations in this process, allow them to ask any question they may have,” Mozeliak said. “It only made sense to try and humanize this process. Ultimately players are going to do what they think is best for themselves. I thought it was time well spent.”

Mozeliak said the Cardinals confidence in their offer stemmed from the number of times and the types of places they had scouted Mateo. He had shown proficiency with a wood bat in several tournaments, having played at facilities in Arizona and Florida. Mateo was “well-scouted”, Mozeliak said.

The Cardinals were well-positioned.

The bonus paid Roberto De La Cruz last season bought the Cardinals some credibility in the international free agent market. The facility in the Dominican Republic gives them a presence. Additional scouts on the ground gives the Cardinals ambassadors. As Mozeliak put it, the Cardinals are “invested heavily” in the area, and Mateo is just the biggest IPO they’ve jumped into.

“It’s all about getting talent,” manager Tony La Russa said. “That’s the life’s blood of this game.”

Wagner will have a physical with the Cardinals later this summer, and there’s the possibility he’ll play some in the Dominican Summer League for the Cardinals team before the season ends.

Mozeliak sat in the Cardinals dugout Thursday afternoon to talk with me and my trusty new toy about Mateo, the beachhead being established, and the process of scouting players in their teens without the tradtional means associated with, say, evaluating a draft prospect:

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