Chaim Bloom Must Branch Out After Latest Trade With Red Sox

Chaim Bloom needs a new strategy after his latest trade.

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 have been busy this offseason under Chaim Bloom. They have signed Dustin May to boost their rotation and traded both Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox.

They also aren’t done just yet. There are still three obvious trade candidates in Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero. 

Romero and Donovan are the ones that will bring back the most value. But as far as trades go, Bloom might have to start branching out a little soon, as both major trades he has made have been with the Red Sox, his old team.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Willson Contreras’ Trade Should Be Bloom’s Last With Boston, For Now

Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) draws a walk against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Bloom’s strategy has been effective, targeting high-upside arms in exchange for veteran players. That part of his approach should stay the same.

However, it’s time for him to do a little something different in terms of who he trades with. The Red Sox made sense as a trade partner given his familiarity with that organization.

But it’s time now for him to explore other options. There are plenty of teams that have what the Cardinals are looking for: young and controllable starting pitching.

As far as potential trades for Donovan go, there are a lot of other teams that make sense and could use his bat in their lineup. The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners are the front-runners, according to Katie Woo.

The Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians also make sense as landing spots for Donovan, as the Cardinals could bring back some very solid young pitching in exchange.

Seattle and the New York Yankees are options for JoJo Romero. The Los Angeles Angels are too. 

So, Bloom has a lot of options at his disposal. But the time has come for him to branch out beyond the Red Sox when making trades.

He has done well in those trades, but there are 28 other organizations for him to trade with that make more sense than Boston for Donovan, Romero and Arenado.

It will certainly be interesting to see when the next move comes and who Bloom will deal with when he ships Donovan and Romero out. There are a lot of options to choose from, and we’ll see where he lands in the next trade. It just needs to be a different organization that the Red Sox.

More MLB: Cardinals Next Steps After Cutting Ties With Willson Contreras