Back-to-back playoff-less seasons and zero postseason wins since 2020 have soured the baseball appetite of St. Louis Cardinals fans. The organization is in a rough patch. This is a foreign feeling for the second-leading Major League Baseball franchise in World Series titles.
As a result, the organization promised changes. But, not all of the rumored changes are necessary, and the Cardinals risk losing fan support if they go through with certain radical changes.
On Sept. 30, the Cardinals announced that Chaim Bloom would take over as the team’s president of baseball operations in 2026. The current president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, has been in the role since 2017. Mozeliak has been in charge of organizational moves — such as trades and free agency signings — since he was hired as general manager in 2007. But, after years of disappointing seasons and Mozeliak’s contract expiring at the end of 2025, Bloom will assume his role.
Bloom has an extensive resume as senior vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays and the chief baseball officer for the Boston Red Sox. Bloom was fired by the Red Sox after the 2023 season and joined the Cardinals in 2024 as Mozeliak’s advisor.
Bloom was the scapegoat for below-average Red Sox seasons in a highly competitive American League East division. The Red Sox were unwilling to spend big money and competed against juggernauts — New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Rays — in the AL East. Despite building a strong farm system, Bloom was let go.
Boston demands excellence, and so does St. Louis, but Bloom’s financial handcuffs hindered his immediate success in Boston. Now, he will take over in St. Louis with the autonomy to revamp the player development system, presumably giving him more freedom than in Boston.
More money will be allocated to the player development system to generate sustained success, cutting the big league budget. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals will slash major league roster payroll. Lowering payroll isn’t bad if top prospects begin to thrive in the big leagues in the coming years, but the team shouldn’t tear down.
St. Louis is already shedding first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s $26 million and could drop starting pitcher Kyle Gibson’s $12 million and starting pitcher Lance Lynn’s $10 million by declining their player options. After dropping $48 million from those contracts, third baseman Nolan Arenado, starting pitcher Sonny Gray and catcher Willson Contreras still combine at $64 million. The Cardinals, unlikely to compete in 2025, could trade those impact players to shed salary. That would be a mistake.
The Cardinals have a highly loyal fanbase, consistently finishing top five in National League attendance each year, but that’s waning with the team’s performance. Trading superstars like Arenado and Contreras won’t help.
Despite being mediocre, the Cardinals have loads of talent outside of Arenado, Contreras and Gray: single-season save record holder Ryan Helsley, rookie Gold Glove finalist Masyn Winn, former top-10 MLB Pipeline prospect Jordan Walker, Gold Glove winner Brendan Donovan and rising slugger Alec Burleson, to name a few. This talent didn’t generate a playoff berth in 2024, but if the potential is fulfilled, they could dominate.
Also, baseball is weird. Unexpected teams excel every year. Just this year, championship series appearances by the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians shocked fans, and the Cardinals could luckily achieve similar success next year with the current roster.
The team can cut payroll and focus on development while keeping their offensive firepower. Losing Gibson and Lynn will hurt, but 2024 Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year Quinn Mathews and former MLB draft first-round pick Michael McGreevy are ready to step up. Top 100 MLB Pipeline prospect Tink Hence is on his way to St. Louis, too.
The Cardinals are a franchise built on sustained success, which fans believe Bloom will bring. A step back is necessary to reach those new heights – but not a leap. Give fans a reason to attend games in 2025. Instead of trading away fan favorites Arenado and Contreras, retain them for a new era of Cardinal baseball. Give the team a chance to win, encourage fan engagement and usher in another period of Cardinal dominance in the National League through stellar minor league development.
