Between stops on the tour of interviews the Cardinals organized to introduce him as their first new leader of baseball operations in a generation, Chaim Bloom joked with a colleague how relieved he was to skip the customary to-do list for any incoming executive.
“I don’t have as Item 1 on my list to, like, introduce myself to everybody who works here,” Bloom said. “It is the start of a new phase. But in terms of, you know, my having both feet in on the St. Louis Cardinals … feels more like a continuation.”
A year after the Cardinals announced Bloom would take over as president of baseball operations, he did formally Tuesday in a news conference the likes of which the Cardinals had not hosted in 18 years. Bloom spent most of the previous two years with the Cardinals as an adviser, first auditing the organization and then expanding and modernizing the minor league system he knew he’d inherit.
Out of deference to longtime Cardinals executive John Mozeliak, Bloom declined interviews and kept his comments out of the press, even as he prepared to become only the second president of baseball operations in the Cardinals’ 135-season history.
The events Tuesday were his first chance to share his vision publicly.
His introductory statement ran eight minutes, 21 seconds.
“Our strategy is long term, but we won’t lower the standards that we hold here every day,” Bloom said at its conclusion. “We won’t concede anything, and we will always compete.”
Bloom began by saying what he’s learned about the Cardinals and their history from the people he’s met and worked with, and then he acknowledged that the club is “not where want to be, not where our fans expect us to be.” He built his opening comments from there around two pillars: “Who are the Cardinals at our best? How do the Cardinals win?”
Upon those questions he draped a description of a retro-future approach that pulls the Cardinals’ draft-and-development past into the cutting-edge present. He avoided the use of the word “rebuild” and promises of immediate pennants. He repeatedly said “shortcuts” and “short-term gains” would not be taken at the expense of the long-term goal to restore sustained success.
“This organization, at its best, sets the standard for the rest of baseball, and that’s what set this organization approach for 100 years,” Bloom said. He continued: “We will act with purpose and with urgency to take a fresh look at every one of those areas and work to set a new standard in each of them. If we do it well, the results will be a steady flow of championship-caliber players coming through the organization, dominating details and winning ballgames. A core that comes together and sustains itself through the inevitable change that every roster goes through in this industry. That is the how the Cardinals win.”
How Bloom begins is with a head start.
Drawing upon his past two years in the organization and the relationships he’s established, Bloom said he “hoped” and “planned” for “continuity” in the manager’s staff and for the senior positions in his front office. He previously hired assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio to lead the minor league upgrades. Bloom said many members of Mozeliak’s front office will remain and that he will also add “new faces and new ideas.”He’s still considering when to hire a general manager.
Bloom and field manager Oli Marmol cultivated a relationship all season that grew into recent conversations about this offseason and next season that revealed the plan to keep Marmol in place.
Marmol’s contract expires at the end of 2026, and Bloom did not dismiss the idea of exploring an extension at some point this offseason.
That does not mean there won’t be changes.
For example, Bloom said he’ll go shopping for players.
This previous offseason, as the Cardinals sought to trim payroll and begin the transition to Bloom’s leadership, they did not sign a free agent to a major league contract until spring training. Bloom said he plans to look into the free-agent market to fill a need in the rotation, add a veteran reliever for the bullpen and possibly add depth. Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bloom have not talked payroll budget yet — that will be set in part by the financial picture the Cardinals have at the end of next month.
Bloom will explore trades for Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray, the two highest-paid players on the roster. President Bill DeWitt III said if a “giant chunk” of the payroll is traded, he expected that to be spent on improving the roster in other areas.
“We’re not looking to slash and burn here,” he said. “We want to build on what we have.”
He described how the goal is to spend on a club to contend, not survive.
“I think you can envision a scenario where we get back up to the top third in revenue and in attendance and in payroll and all of that, at some point,” Bill DeWitt III told the Post-Dispatch. “We’re not there right now. We’d love to get back there. We’ve been there.”
The industry has changed significantly since the Cardinals were in the spot, especially as the cost for free agents soared and spending by National League rivals like the Dodgers, Mets and Phillies skyrocketed. At the same time, teams adopted draft models similar to the Cardinals, and they were surpassed in staff, technology and innovation when it came to player development.
During a conversation with writers after his news conference, the Post-Dispatch asked Bloom where he saw the Cardinals regaining an edge — and how soon.
“Historically, player development has been our thing,” Bloom said. “Literally. That was not an exaggeration. We invented the farm system. The St. Louis Cardinals did. And then you get into this century and all the work in the draft. … I don’t want to give up on looking for an edge in any area. I’m realistic enough and I respect our competition enough to know that it’s unlikely we’re ever going to be front of the line in every single area. But we should try. We should try that. If we’re not trying to win in any area, what are we here for?”
The follow-up question was about how the Cardinals won’t have the largest payroll or big-city perks or, for example, a geographic location that’s had success appealing to headline talents from Japan.
Bloom’s answer was about establishing an ethos as much as an edge.
“That’s part of why I think that mindset is so important of innovating and moving things forward because we can’t afford to stand still,” Bloom said. “We are a true mid-market organization, really, that has always punched above its weight because it’s been willing to push the envelope. And we can’t ever lose that spirit, or we will get beat.”
During the hourlong conversation with writers, Bloom touched on more specifics for his upcoming offseason.
He said releasing Arenado is “not an option.”
The goal will be to find a trade that is both agreeable to the Cardinals and to their 10-time Gold Glove winner, but if it’s not possible, Bloom said: “If we are unable to find that fit, you know, then we’d be happy to have him back.”
On Gray: “We do have a clear fit for him here. … I think he’ll be perfectly happy and a perfectly good, good teammate and contributor if he’s here. We’re going to see what’s out there, and if there’s something that could make sense for us that furthers our goals that he also wants to do, then we’ll explore it.”
On talking with All-Star Brendan Donovan about a contract extension or his place in the future: “He and I have had a few conversations about that. I don’t know where it’s going to go yet. I’m being candid, obviously. This is true with just about any player. This is the type of guy (who) the more people and players like him we have in our clubhouse, the better off we’ll be.”
On top prospect JJ Wetherholt’s chances of being in the 2026 lineup: “Seeing what he does in camp. Look, he’s in a position to come in and make a really strong impression and start his big league career sooner rather than later. We’ll see how that shakes out. But he’s a really impressive player, and he’s a really impressive and poised person.”
The Cardinals see Wetherholt as part of the future core they’re trying to identify, the future contention so much of Tuesday focused on.
Throughout his introduction, Bloom and ownership discussed the organization’s goal of winning the National League Central, returning for the playoffs and vying for the club’s 12th World Series championship. It’s been a dozen years since their last pennant, 14 since their last trophy. Bloom insisted he would not “concede” the coming season.
But on the first day of his new job and the Cardinals’ new era, he described how a lasting turnaround and a return to the club’s traditional expectations and strategies requires a longer view.
“We’ve got to stay focused on our goals,” Bloom said. “We need to be in this mode for multiple years. If we stack good decisions and smart moves on top of one another, that usually makes it go quicker.”
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Derrick Goold | Post-Dispatch
Lead baseball writer
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