Chaim Bloom Isn't Ready to Put Ceiling on Cardinals’ 2026 Season

Chaim Bloom is still optimistic.

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 thinking long-term for 2026 and are set to begin their rebuild under Chaim Bloom. It might take a couple of years before they get back to where they once were, but Bloom's plan has been working so far.

They acquired a lot of solid young pieces in exchange for all of their trade chips and have completely restocked their farm system. The future finally appears bright in St. Louis again.

However, despite the long-term goals being prioritized, Bloom isn't ready to give up on 2026 just yet. In fact, he shared his take on where things stand, and his comments should make Cardinals fans excited.

Can Cardinals outperform expectations?

Feb 27, 2020; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom takes questions from reporters during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

""I just feel like we shouldn't put a ceiling on what we can do," Bloom said. "We've made no secret about what we're doing, what the bigger picture looks like. Even if we're saying this is a long-term plan and we're going to prioritize that, there should not be a day when we're not coming in here trying to compete and win a ballgame, and you can feel that within the clubhouse."

Despite where things may stand with the roster after all the trades that were made by St. Louis, Bloom is clearly still optimistic, and the expectations are no different. Even with possibly less talent on the roster, the goals remain the same.

While the Cardinals are rebuilding, they also don't necessarily want to concede. The goal is still to show up each day and compete for wins. The vibes in the clubhouse are a lot better this year, and there is still a lot of excitement around the club for what will be a very interesting season.

The results may not be pretty. Rebuilds often come with a little bit of short-term pain, but the Cardinals are committed to seeing this through and not take any shortcuts to get where they want to go.

While the outlook might be bleak, there are still things fans can get excited about, such as the emergence of top prospect JJ Wetherholt, who could change a lot of things for St. Louis this year and ignite some hope for the future.

Even if they aren't competitive in the standings, Bloom doesn't want to cut any corners and still wants to approach this season hoping to win as many as games as possible. The clubhouse feels the same way, and it will be interesting to see what the results end up being.