Chaim Bloom Expected To Make Major Offseason Changes To Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a rebuild, and they're doing it at the best possible time.

During the offseason, the Cardinals will transition power from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom, with Bloom taking over as the team's president of baseball operations. Making this move to begin a rebuild gives Bloom the full power to do what he wants with the franchise, in a position to take them back to the postseason.

The Athletic's Katie Woo was recently asked how Bloom would upgrade the Cardinals' minor league system, and she provided some high expectations for the incoming president of baseball operations.

Upgrading the minor leagues will be a priority for the Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals Chaim Bloo — Jul 27, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom talks with the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

"The boring but true answer: It will take multiple years for fans to truly see the changes in the minor-league system reflect at the major-league level. But that doesn’t mean expansive change isn’t taking place. The Cardinals’ spring training complex is (at long last) undergoing a complete renovation and is expected to see major facility upgrades," Woo wrote. "The organization’s minor-league affiliates are receiving advanced technology (such as Hawk-Eye — a computer vision system used to track ball flight) in hopes of providing players with as much data and analysis as possible. Many clubs already implemented this kind of technology years ago.

"The easiest change to note is the number of staff additions. Increasing the number of minor-league coordinators was something identified early by Cerfolio when he was hired as assistant general manager. The combination of the departments for player development and player performance into a cohesive unit has also been a priority. In past seasons, the two were often unintentionally siloed, with both departments focused on their own area. Under Cerfolio’s lead, there has been a firm focus on all levels of the minor leagues on collaboration."

Woo notes that the Cardinals aren't looking to get ahead with changes like this, but instead, they're looking to catch up with the rest of the league, which already has everything the Cardinals are pursuing.

At the end of the day, upgrading at the minor league level is going to pay dividends down the line for St. Louis. The Cardinals have struggled to consistently develop their top talent, with players like Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and, most notably, Jordan Walker seeming to fizzle out at the highest level.

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