Chaim Bloom puts Cardinals’ focus on long term: ‘We can’t take shortcuts, and we won’t’

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ST. LOUIS — In his first public comments as the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom offered a direct assessment of the storied organization he has officially taken over.

“We are not where we need to be,” Bloom said at his introductory news conference Tuesday morning at Busch Stadium. “We are not where our fans expect us to be. And we are not where we expect ourselves to be. Our goal is to field a team every year that can compete for the division and for a World Series championship.”

“We have talent here,” he added. “We have more talent coming, and we have some of the makings of that core, but we need more. Our top priority will be to build our talent base for the long term. That may mean hard decisions and short-term sacrifices, but to get where we want to go, we can’t take shortcuts — and we won’t.”

Accompanied by chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and president Bill DeWitt III, Bloom spoke to the history of the Cardinals, the importance of sustaining the team through the drafting and developing process, and why the initial focus of his tenure will be on the long-term outlook of the organization.

“We will always want to win. And we will hunt moves and decisions that allow us to do that right now, too, as long as they also serve our ultimate goal,” Bloom said. “But when we have to choose between short-term gratification and our bigger goal of contending consistently, we will choose the long term. We will make moves with that ultimate goal in mind because, simply put, that’s where this organization needs to be.”

The St. Louis Cardinals are pleased to welcome Chaim Bloom as our next President of Baseball Operations. pic.twitter.com/rqtGg7QAks

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 30, 2025

How will Bloom change the Cardinals? In a wide-ranging 60-minute media session with local beat writers after his news conference, Bloom detailed his plans.

Are changes coming to the front office or coaching staff?

The focus will be on adding staff, not subtracting, Bloom said. He would like to hire a general manager, but is unsure of the timing of that hire. Most of the senior leadership should also return.

“I have a lot of respect for the people who have been here,” Bloom said. “Still working through things, but I would like, hope and expect that our senior folks will all go forward with us. I do anticipate that we will have some additions to the front-office group, when and in what roles, I’m not ready to say that yet.”

Bloom confirmed manager Oli Marmol will return in 2026 for the final year of his contract but said the two have not yet discussed a possible extension. More clarity on the rest of the coaching staff will emerge in the following weeks, though Bloom said he expects “there will be more continuity than not.”

Will Bloom trade Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray?

Arenado expects to be a trade candidate again this winter. Gray has expressed a desire to play for a winning ballclub. Both veterans are owed considerable money on their deals, with Arenado due roughly $40 million over the next two seasons, and Gray owed $35 million in 2026. But their situations are not similar, Bloom noted.

“With Arenado, we’ve had some good conversations as the season approached its end,” Bloom said. “I think we all recognize where he’s at and where we’re at, that there might be a better fit somewhere else. So we are, along with him, going to explore that.

“We’re on the same page that this is a possibility that should be explored, and it might be in everybody’s best interest, but it also has to work for everybody.”

After providing former president of baseball operations John Mozeliak with a list of five teams he’d consider waiving his full no-trade clause for — the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres — Arenado has said he will add more teams to that list this year. Which additional teams will be included is not yet known.

Gray’s future in St. Louis is murky, with the right-hander saying only that he had a “decision to make” on coming back next year. As with Arenado, Gray also has a full no-trade clause.

“With Sonny, the situation is a bit different in that we do have a clear fit for him here,” Bloom said. “He’s enjoyed playing here. He’s said some very complimentary things to me about his time with the organization. He also recognizes where we’re headed. I think he’ll be perfectly happy and a good teammate and contributor if he’s here, but 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.”

Bloom has yet to discuss next year’s payroll at length with ownership, but believes he will not be under strict restrictions. The Cardinals could tack on additional money in deals to complete a trade. One thing that is off the table is the organization’s releasing Arenado outright if a suitable trade partner is not identified.

“That is not an option,” Bloom said.

“As far as cash being a lever on the trade front, that should never be off the table,” he added. “Obviously, you’d prefer not to do that, but you could end up in a situation where adding cash to make a preferred deal work just makes sense.”

How did Bloom evaluate Jordan Walker’s and Nolan Gorman’s seasons?

Walker and Gorman posted arguably the two most disappointing Cardinals seasons this year. Walker hit .215 with a dismal .584 OPS and six homers. Gorman hit just over .200 with a .666 OPS and 14 homers. Both had strikeout rates over 30 percent.

“I still believe in the upside of both of these guys to perform,” Bloom said. “In Nolan’s case, he’s shown it in flashes. This year, he hasn’t been able to stay there consistently. I think for him, coming out of the offseason with a consistent and clear idea of who he wants to be, and something he believes in enough that it can withstand the ups and downs of the season … I think that’ll be really important to him.

“Jordan, we all have a good idea of what the adjustment should look like. I give him a lot of credit for trying to do that midseason. I felt it was something you hope to see good returns in season, but really the offseason was going to be the real test of trying to really cement that and have it be second nature.”

Bloom expects an assortment of roster turnover this winter, though it’s too early to speculate which core players could be on the trading block. The Cardinals appear to be committed to Gorman and, especially, Walker.

“I really do think (Walker) is a type of talent and player where we are going to see results at the big-league level,” Bloom said. “For his sake certainly, but also our sake as an organization, we need that to happen soon. The offseason for him is a big one.”

How will the 40-man roster be addressed?

The Cardinals have severe redundancies throughout the active roster and a glaring lack of depth on their 40-man. They also have several minor-league prospects who must be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. Roster construction has been a criticism of the organization for the past few seasons. Bloom understands that some overhaul must be done.

“You want that roster to work together and to fit,” Bloom said.

Bloom will need to add pitching depth, and he’ll peruse both the free-agent and trade markets to do so. The Cardinals will not be in the market for a blockbuster signing this winter, and they will be mindful of how adding externally could take away opportunity internally.

“You always have to balance maintaining some depth,” Bloom said. “At the same time, you don’t want to be in a situation where you go through a season and somebody who’s deserving of an opportunity didn’t get one.”

When can fans reasonably expect the Cardinals to be competitive again?

Bloom made it clear what his definition of competitive is. Hoping to win on the margins and sneak into an expanded playoff bracket is not the standard he has in mind. He wants to build a perennial contender, where winning the division is the minimum.

Though the Cardinals are also rebuilding, they will not fully tear down. They will compete with what they have at the start of 2026 while knowing they are continuing to build internally for the next several seasons.

“We’re not going to concede anything,” Bloom said. “We should never come in with any goal other than to win, but we’re going to be making moves that are more aligned with that long-term. We’re not going to do that at the expense of that bigger goal we have. But the mindset should always be to win. If you let that standard slip, that’s not a light switch you can just flip.

“To me, that is more cultural, that we should always aspire to do that. But our strategy and in terms of how we go about our roster building, we don’t want to get distracted from our bigger goals.”

The Cardinals won’t enter next season at the top of any power rankings. A season similar to those of the last two years is much more likely. The difference now is there are plans to build for future seasons. Bloom hopes those seasons mirror the historic success of the organization.

(Photo of Chaim Bloom from 2022: Michael Dwyer / Associated Press)

This news was originally published on this post .

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