The Farm System should be volatile for years
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hugeCardfan
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The Farm System should be volatile for years
We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
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mattmitchl44
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
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BrockFloodMaris
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Nice summary and analysis.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 03:54 am Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
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2ninr
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
They're flooding the system with pitching. Smart. Pitching is overvalued when you have to pay for it. Pitchers are injured at a higher rate than everyday players. When teams have to trade for pitching they overpay. They're like high yield savings accounts. When it's time to plug the holes in your everyday lineup, you have the equity to trade or sign for them. Like Matt said, we just have to trust that Bloom has picked the right guys to add to what we already had. It’s pretty clear the profile of those guys he wants.
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sikeston bulldog2
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
I’m thinking volatile is to eccentric. More like electric burns, to fuel the fire type scenario. Raw power.
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An Old Friend
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
I would argue that they’re already back on track.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 00:46 am We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
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ramfandan
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (MLB's No. 91 prospect, per MLB Pipeline); OF Tai Peete (was Mariners' No. 11 prospect, now Cardinals' No. 15); OF Colton Ledbetter (was Rays' No. 24 prospect); Competitive Balance Round B picks (No. 68 overall, from Mariners; No. 72 overall, from Rays)
Qute the return
In the upcoming draft, the Cardinals will have six picks in the top 86 and all of the bonus money associated with them to give additional flexibility and a potential adrenaline shot to the farm system.
6 in top 86 picks ! Wow ! Shot in the arm is right !
Qute the return
In the upcoming draft, the Cardinals will have six picks in the top 86 and all of the bonus money associated with them to give additional flexibility and a potential adrenaline shot to the farm system.
6 in top 86 picks ! Wow ! Shot in the arm is right !
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govman
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
+1 don't forget that with all the prospects Bloom has accumulated, he can bundle some of them in future tradesBrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 04:30 amNice summary and analysis.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 03:54 am Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
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Carp4Cy
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
We certainly have the pitching raw talent. If there was ever a time we needed Dave Duncan to quickly turn these prospects and projects into producers…mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 03:54 am Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
On the hitting side, we still lack the raw material, esp RH. Maybe we plan to buy that or trade for established hitters with some of these prospects?
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hugeCardfan
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Positive outlook. Lots of raw talent accumulated in a short time frame and a promising framework to develop that talent. I'll see us back on track as we begin to fill the many holes in the 26 man roster with proven talent.An Old Friend wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 06:09 amI would argue that they’re already back on track.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 00:46 am We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
Was not a proponent to trade Donovan (had bought into him his rookie year) but am thoroughly impressed with the haul Bloom got, to include 2 high draft picks this summer.
Sure, Bloom could stumble, but am really impressed with what he's accomplished so quickly. The frame work for a rapid ascenscion into NL prominence is all there.
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Cusecards
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Hey....you can’t say he isn’t being active/aggressive.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 10:34 amPositive outlook. Lots of raw talent accumulated in a short time frame and a promising framework to develop that talent. I'll see us back on track as we begin to fill the many holes in the 26 man roster with proven talent.An Old Friend wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 06:09 amI would argue that they’re already back on track.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 00:46 am We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
Was not a proponent to trade Donovan (had bought into him his rookie year) but am thoroughly impressed with the haul Bloom got, to include 2 high draft picks this summer.
Sure, Bloom could stumble, but am really impressed with what he's accomplished so quickly. The frame work for a rapid ascenscion into NL prominence is all there.
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hugeCardfan
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
No, you can't Cuse. I'd love to be in on discussions with his minor league talent evaluators on what they believe they got from Seattle and Tampa. I suspect that the draft picks got Chaim to move off the dime.Cusecards wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 10:42 amHey....you can’t say he isn’t being active/aggressive.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 10:34 amPositive outlook. Lots of raw talent accumulated in a short time frame and a promising framework to develop that talent. I'll see us back on track as we begin to fill the many holes in the 26 man roster with proven talent.An Old Friend wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 06:09 amI would argue that they’re already back on track.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 00:46 am We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
Was not a proponent to trade Donovan (had bought into him his rookie year) but am thoroughly impressed with the haul Bloom got, to include 2 high draft picks this summer.
Sure, Bloom could stumble, but am really impressed with what he's accomplished so quickly. The frame work for a rapid ascenscion into NL prominence is all there.
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rockondlouie
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Exactlymattmitchl44 wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 03:54 am Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
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okcardfan
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
I think the word "dynamic" is the one I would use.
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ramfandan
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Heard rumors that DeWitt is in talks with Progressive Insurance for an advertising campaign focusing on Bloom 'bumdling' prospects . Fgovman wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 06:58 am+1 don't forget that with all the prospects Bloom has accumulated, he can bundle some of them in future tradesBrockFloodMaris wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 04:30 amNice summary and analysis.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 03:54 am Rebuilding the player development system required two things:
(1) an investment in people (scouts, coaches, trainers, analysts, etc.) and facilities (pitching labs, hitting labs, etc.) necessary to bring the Cardinals back near the top in being able to identify and help prospects reach their ceilings more often
and
(2) an accumulation of "raw material" (prospects) for that investment in people/facilities to work on
They were presumably already working on (1) back since they hired Bloom. This offseason they moved to trade Gray, Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan to do (2).
Now we hope that this regime has been very good at identifying the right prospects to put the Cardinals player development system to work on.
First commercial shows Flo consulting with Fredbird for the first 'bundle' deal !
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zuck698
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Re: The Farm System should be volatile for years
Bloom alluded to that very fact in his interview after the trade. He wouldn't do the trade without the draft picks being added in.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 12:53 pmNo, you can't Cuse. I'd love to be in on discussions with his minor league talent evaluators on what they believe they got from Seattle and Tampa. I suspect that the draft picks got Chaim to move off the dime.Cusecards wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 10:42 amHey....you can’t say he isn’t being active/aggressive.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 10:34 amPositive outlook. Lots of raw talent accumulated in a short time frame and a promising framework to develop that talent. I'll see us back on track as we begin to fill the many holes in the 26 man roster with proven talent.An Old Friend wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 06:09 amI would argue that they’re already back on track.hugeCardfan wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026 00:46 am We have loaded the system with both hopeful and some quite promising talent. How much will depend on development success and chance health for a number of years.
As a glass half full guy, I expect some of these players to find traction and make up a significant portion of the 40 man roster on a yearly basis. Interestingly, our 40 man roster will become a focal point for years to come. So too the 26 man list.
The FO will need to become very agile separating the prospects from the suspects as well as agile at making good calculated trades for veteran talent. There can be little hesitation here or we'll be watching a revolving door of Rule 5 losses for failing to protect the talent.
We are in a cat bird's seat for significant trades, especially if a good number of our prospects begin to show on the farm. DeWitt will need to be open to adding salary as required and Chaim can't afford many mistakes. Mo undermined his credibility in recent years to the point of inaction. Chaim has a 3-4 year window to get this organization back on track.
Hope it's not wasted.
Was not a proponent to trade Donovan (had bought into him his rookie year) but am thoroughly impressed with the haul Bloom got, to include 2 high draft picks this summer.
Sure, Bloom could stumble, but am really impressed with what he's accomplished so quickly. The frame work for a rapid ascenscion into NL prominence is all there.