After this season concludes, Cardinals fans are in store for a huge change. John Monzeliak, the team's current president of baseball operations, will be stepping down, and replacing him will be Chaim Bloom.
Bloom got his start in professional baseball in 2005, working as an intern for the Tampa Bay Rays and eventually moving up to become the vice president of baseball operations. Then in 2019, he was hired by the Boston Red Sox as their chief baseball officer, staying with them until near the end of the 2023 season.
Bloom is known for some high-profile moves in the past, like the Mookie Betts trade or signing Trevor Story. However, fans should not expect their club to make headlines during the offseason. St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold revealed to fans to expect a "quiet winter" during a recent Cardinals live chat.
"I've been told to expect a quiet winter when it comes to free agent moves," said Goold. "We'll see what Bloom has to say about it. But sources around and within the team have described that the activity will be trades and those kinds of moves, not bidding on free agents and making headlines for those pursuits."
Chaim Bloom has some tough decisions to make this offseason
Chaim Bloom will have a lot on his plate when he steps into his new role with St. Louis. One glaring issue he faces is what to do with manager Oli Marmols, whose contract expires after the 2026 season.
The Cardinals also have a problem at catcher. They have a handful of top catching prospects with guys like Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, and Rainiel Rodriguez. Trading one of them to acquire a controllable starting pitcher will be something to watch out for.