What to Expect From Cardinals' Offseason, Straight From Chaim Bloom

The 2026 season is over for the St. Louis Cardinals and on Monday, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom spoke to the media about a wide range of topics, including the future he envisions for this franchise.

It's no secret that the Cardinals used the 2026 season for development purposes. St. Louis traded its veterans away and rolled with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball in the first season under Bloom. That was by design. The goal was to give the kids playing time and develop the farm system by adding as many prospects as possible. Now, the Cardinals have a better understanding of some of the guys on the roster and one of the best overall farm systems in baseball. The 2026 season was a success from that standpoint, despite the fact that St. Louis missed the playoffs.

Now, the focus turns to the offseason and beyond for the Cardinals. Will they be a player in free agency this winter? It's a real question. On Monday, Bloom was asked this very question and made it clear that the Cardinals will be looking, but acknowledged that there are conditions to take into account.

"I think as we sit here today, not having really flushed out offseason plans, I don't want to hint at anything. Or appear to be hinting at anything because I don't think we're there yet," Bloom said when asked if the club will be looking to add in free agency. "I think it certainly can be. The thing you have to make sure when you're [attacking free agency], especially in the stage we're in, is the arc of the contribution you expect from any player you might go out and get fits where we think we're at with our core. ... Should definitely be and will be on the board, subject to us figuring out a lot about our offseason plans."

Chaim Bloom suggests the #STLCards could be more of a player this offseason in free agency than they were a year ago, but does so with some caveats. @101espn pic.twitter.com/eHtobsquZb
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) September 28, 2026

What Should St. Louis do?

St. Louis Cardinals executive Chaim Bloom — 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-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Arguably, Bloom couldn't have answered this question better. Now, of course, it would've been great if Bloom had said that the club was going to open up the checkbook for guys like Tarik Skubal or Randy Arozarena, who will be two of the best free agents available. That's not going to happen, though. Still, the Cardinals should be thinking about ways to improve. The Cardinals have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons and can only expect fans to wait so long.

What Bloom did here was acknowledge that the Cardinals will at least be looking for guys who could complement the current core, if they fit the club's timeline for contention, while not providing false hope as well. If the Cardinals don't expect to contend in 2027, it would be surprising to see some sort of big, short-term expense, for example.

Last offseason, the Cardinals utilized free agency to bring guys like Dustin May and Ryne Stanek to town. Moves like that, or even a bit more, would make sense for this version of the Cardinals. Arguably, the 2026 Cardinals could've been a playoff team with a better bullpen. That should be a priority this winter.

The young guys looked good and should be even better in 2027 with more experience under their belts. Outside of third base, the Cardinals don't have a lot to think about from an offensive standpoint. Pitching is the thing to think about. A few veteran bullpen arms and maybe a starting pitcher would be enough.

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