Chaim Bloom Continues To Be A Game-Changer For Cardinals

Bloom is a popular man in St. Louis.

Dec 14, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president, baseball operations Chaim Bloom during the MLB winter meetings at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are still fielding trade interest in players such as Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero and Nolan Arenado. They’ve already traded Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

Thursday was the deadline for teams to give contracts to arbitration eligible players and avoid hearings. In his first offseason handling that as the Cardinals president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom was successful, avoiding arbitration with all seven eligible players.

This is quite a contrast from the past several years with John Mozeliak in charge. Players like Donovan and Lars Nootbaar have had to go to arbitration in recent years. However, Bloom’s ability to avoid arbitration is a breath of fresh air for this organization.

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Bloom Succeeding Where Mozeliak Failed

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Under Mozeliak, the Cardinals weren’t always able to avoid arbitration with their players. But Bloom handled everything the right way. Instead of fighting with the players, he simply gave them what they wanted and deserved in terms of salary for the 2026 season.

This is a step in the right direction, and it speaks to the differences between Bloom and Mozeliak’s approaches. Bloom has made himself popular with the fanbase and the players in his first offseason at the helm.

Fans were tired of Mozeliak and were ready for a new approach to things, but in addition to being able to reach agreements quickly with arbitration eligible players, he has been open and honest about his plans, which fans appreciate.

Instead of being patient about things, he is attacking the offseason with urgency, and has already won over a significant portion of the fanbase. Him reaching agreements with all seven arbitration eligible players also shows urgency, and he isn’t being stubborn about how he runs the team and views the players he has on his roster.

The more he does things differently from Mozeliak, the more fans are going to appreciate him, and it should be interesting to see how he handles the rest of the offseason. But count his handling of arbitration as another reason for fans to be excited about him and the way he operates.

Even though 2026 might be a rough year for the Cardinals, Bloom is already making a positive difference, and before long, the team might see some very positive results.

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