Cardinals' Chaim Bloom Reveals Why The 'Cardinal Way' Needs To Change

Cardinals fans can expect Bloom to keep the club evolving

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

An organization like the St. Louis Cardinals that is steeped in tradition can sometimes be viewed as resistant to change.

The Cardinals have a lot of traditional ethos -- the reputation for having the best fans in baseball, the storied imagery of the team's gear, and of course, the excellence on the field. But Chaim Bloom believes he was brought in to change things, too.

As he embarks on his first offseason as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations, Bloom's stated intention is to make sure that the "Cardinal Way" doesn't become a refrain of resistance to change.

Chaim Bloom committed to evolving Cardinals organization

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

During an interview with KMOX's Tom Ackerman on Sunday, Bloom essentially said that finding way to innovate and not sticking to the same practices of his predecessors in the front office would be one of the core tenets of his leadership.

"This organization has really been defined, more than anything, by setting the standard for the rest of baseball," Bloom said. "And some of that is moving things forward for the industry -- innovating. The idea of standing still and never evolving, to me, is not the Cardinal Way.

"The Cardinal Way is always about moving forward and setting a new standard. Your principles and your values, the things that you care about and believe in, those can be timeless, but your methods do need to change. This is a really competitive business, and you have all 30 clubs fighting over the same number of wins every year ... so everybody is always trying to move forward."

Bloom has framed himself as the right person to move the franchise forward, and there's plenty of merit to his resume that would suggest he's ready to innovate. He cut his teeth in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization, which has long had the reputation for trailblazing on a front office level, then brought that background to the Boston Red Sox, where he built up a tremendous farm system despite a few rough seasons at the major league level.

How will Bloom innovate the Cardinals, a team hoping to shake off a few lean years of their own? He's not going to give it away just yet, but one can be certain the team's offseason moves will look a bit different than they have in the recent past.

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