On Bloom and revisionist history

[renostl]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

I think you are not happy with Bloom. If I misunderstand I apologize. From all indications I think he has made major organizational improvements and appears to have improved the minor league rosters. I just wish I could get in his head. I had hoped for a 2 year rebuild realizing the labor issue in 2027 might impact that goal. However I am a little critical in that his roster moves so far would indicate a longer runway to put a playoff competitive team on the field. He has made progress in a lot of areas so I have to give him credit and have confidence he can get the job done.

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

I haven’t put him in the miracle category yet. And I haven’t no way of knowing yet if some of the staffing and organization changes he has made will payoff. But you have to agree he was left with a dumpster fire. As far as spending I’m not sure he has total control there.

A dumpster fire? How insulting to Mo and his staff. Nearly two decades of very good play and you call it a dumpster fire. What must you think of the other MLB teams that fared worse? Also, the Springfield Cardinals just won the championship. How much of a 'Dumpster fire" could it have been? I here everyone that loves him talk about all the changes and yet no one can list any. Weird.

Assume you are sort of kidding about Mo. He was handed the keys to a championship organization and left it with no chance of competing. I don’t totally blame him. Ownership shares blame also.

Bloom accomplishments? Significant staff changes, rebuilt farm system, improved scouting, dumped contracts, etc. of course will these moves be successful? Who knows. Roster rebuild? I’m disappointed in that as mentioned.

In my eyes Mo gets too much hatred. Was he a successful GM? Coattails or no he has two rings. I don't know the daily contributions and the inner workings of the team but I do know that in nearly two decades they never had to tank and had a record in the top 5 or 6 in baseball during that time. As for his moves, I was all for getting Ozuna. Had I known that he wasn't really that good maybe I would have had pause, but looking from the outside that was a win for the Cardinals. But hindsight is 20/20. I was okay with some reservations about the Brett Cecil signing. Again, in that time period the Cardinals needed a good lefty reliever badly and all it cost was money. I was disappointed in how bad he was. Again, hindsight 20/20. Fowler, same. I do blame him for going to the Tyler Oneil well too often, but then none of the other options were proven. He's definitely made some bad calls, but also he was constrained by the DeWitt budget and whims. We'll see how Bloom turns out. Will he be successful or another rerun of Boston.

I've stated that what MO was attempting to do was among the more difficult positions
to be in as a POBO/GM. He attempted to maintain the playoff appearances, while keeping a
8-12 payroll. Oh, and the St. Louis flavor of keeping a few names on the roster. Name a team
that does that. A few misses like he had are disastrous. Easier taking any of the other paths.

Now opinion wise. I believe that model is even more difficult. Mid-range cost a lot let alone ASG
level. It just won't work without being constantly fed with new productive players from the system.

Today the team needs those players that you see as spots for upgrades. True, those positions
need to be upgraded. But which ones? FA adds of any value will desire commitment. Do they spend
on a RF, a 3B, 1B, LF, 2B when maybe answer to 1-5 of those is on the roster. That spending
won't happen today. Trades sure, they change who they commit to.

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

I think you are not happy with Bloom. If I misunderstand I apologize. From all indications I think he has made major organizational improvements and appears to have improved the minor league rosters. I just wish I could get in his head. I had hoped for a 2 year rebuild realizing the labor issue in 2027 might impact that goal. However I am a little critical in that his roster moves so far would indicate a longer runway to put a playoff competitive team on the field. He has made progress in a lot of areas so I have to give him credit and have confidence he can get the job done.

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

I haven’t put him in the miracle category yet. And I haven’t no way of knowing yet if some of the staffing and organization changes he has made will payoff. But you have to agree he was left with a dumpster fire. As far as spending I’m not sure he has total control there.

A dumpster fire? How insulting to Mo and his staff. Nearly two decades of very good play and you call it a dumpster fire. What must you think of the other MLB teams that fared worse? Also, the Springfield Cardinals just won the championship. How much of a 'Dumpster fire" could it have been? I here everyone that loves him talk about all the changes and yet no one can list any. Weird.

Assume you are sort of kidding about Mo. He was handed the keys to a championship organization and left it with no chance of competing. I don’t totally blame him. Ownership shares blame also.

Bloom accomplishments? Significant staff changes, rebuilt farm system, improved scouting, dumped contracts, etc. of course will these moves be successful? Who knows. Roster rebuild? I’m disappointed in that as mentioned.

In my eyes Mo gets too much hatred. Was he a successful GM? Coattails or no he has two rings. I don't know the daily contributions and the inner workings of the team but I do know that in nearly two decades they never had to tank and had a record in the top 5 or 6 in baseball during that time. As for his moves, I was all for getting Ozuna. Had I known that he wasn't really that good maybe I would have had pause, but looking from the outside that was a win for the Cardinals. But hindsight is 20/20. I was okay with some reservations about the Brett Cecil signing. Again, in that time period the Cardinals needed a good lefty reliever badly and all it cost was money. I was disappointed in how bad he was. Again, hindsight 20/20. Fowler, same. I do blame him for going to the Tyler Oneil well too often, but then none of the other options were proven. He's definitely made some bad calls, but also he was constrained by the DeWitt budget and whims. We'll see how Bloom turns out. Will he be successful or another rerun of Boston.

I've stated that what MO was attempting to do was among the more difficult positions
to be in as a POBO/GM. He attempted to maintain the playoff appearances, while keeping a
8-12 payroll. Oh, and the St. Louis flavor of keeping a few names on the roster. Name a team
that does that. A few misses like he had are disastrous. Easier taking any of the other paths.

Now opinion wise. I believe that model is even more difficult. Mid-range cost a lot let alone ASG
level. It just won't work without being constantly fed with new productive players from the system.

Today the team needs those players that you see as spots for upgrades. True, those positions
need to be upgraded. But which ones? FA adds of any value will desire commitment. Do they spend
on a RF, a 3B, 1B, LF, 2B when maybe answer to 1-5 of those is on the roster. That spending
won't happen today. Trades sure, they change who they commit to.

When you do something well for nearly two decades it shows that it can be done. Regardless of what they wanted or what happened, in the here and now they should put a product on the field worth watching. They're betting that the name alone will draw much of the fans back to the stadium while they play scrooge with the payroll. They're probably right in that respect. It still doesn't make it right to do it though.

[Ozziesfan41]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

I think you are not happy with Bloom. If I misunderstand I apologize. From all indications I think he has made major organizational improvements and appears to have improved the minor league rosters. I just wish I could get in his head. I had hoped for a 2 year rebuild realizing the labor issue in 2027 might impact that goal. However I am a little critical in that his roster moves so far would indicate a longer runway to put a playoff competitive team on the field. He has made progress in a lot of areas so I have to give him credit and have confidence he can get the job done.

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

I haven’t put him in the miracle category yet. And I haven’t no way of knowing yet if some of the staffing and organization changes he has made will payoff. But you have to agree he was left with a dumpster fire. As far as spending I’m not sure he has total control there.

A dumpster fire? How insulting to Mo and his staff. Nearly two decades of very good play and you call it a dumpster fire. What must you think of the other MLB teams that fared worse? Also, the Springfield Cardinals just won the championship. How much of a 'Dumpster fire" could it have been? I here everyone that loves him talk about all the changes and yet no one can list any. Weird.

Assume you are sort of kidding about Mo. He was handed the keys to a championship organization and left it with no chance of competing. I don’t totally blame him. Ownership shares blame also.

Bloom accomplishments? Significant staff changes, rebuilt farm system, improved scouting, dumped contracts, etc. of course will these moves be successful? Who knows. Roster rebuild? I’m disappointed in that as mentioned.

In my eyes Mo gets too much hatred. Was he a successful GM? Coattails or no he has two rings. I don't know the daily contributions and the inner workings of the team but I do know that in nearly two decades they never had to tank and had a record in the top 5 or 6 in baseball during that time. As for his moves, I was all for getting Ozuna. Had I known that he wasn't really that good maybe I would have had pause, but looking from the outside that was a win for the Cardinals. But hindsight is 20/20. I was okay with some reservations about the Brett Cecil signing. Again, in that time period the Cardinals needed a good lefty reliever badly and all it cost was money. I was disappointed in how bad he was. Again, hindsight 20/20. Fowler, same. I do blame him for going to the Tyler Oneil well too often, but then none of the other options were proven. He's definitely made some bad calls, but also he was constrained by the DeWitt budget and whims. We'll see how Bloom turns out. Will he be successful or another rerun of Boston.

He wasn’t constrained by Dewitt’s budget he was constrained by his own incompetence. His refusal to hire veteran managers he had a good enough payroll he just squandered it on awful contracts and he is the one who put the cardinals in the position where they have to rebuild with that incompetence

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

No one is on the Bloom train.

Many are on the “I like what he’s doing so far! train.

You are on the, “I don’t understand what a rebuild is,” train.

Keep telling yourself that fanboy. Gutting a team is fun and billionaires love it.

Continuing to run a team to try to contend for a wild card and hope for a World Series run traps franchises on a never ending run of mediocrity. It was time to try a different direction. Time will tell if this was the correct path, but there was no other path that didn’t require a massive increase to payroll which was never happening.

Running the team the way it was run the last ten years was a complete failure.

Just your opinion. Mine is different. I'm not on the tanking wagon. I feel that it's bad form. The object of the game is to try to win. Each and every year. What message do you send to the fans and the players? "No matter what happens on the field we will not support you." That's not an honorable message. If you aren't going to try to win you might as well forfeit your games.

[renostl]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

I think you are not happy with Bloom. If I misunderstand I apologize. From all indications I think he has made major organizational improvements and appears to have improved the minor league rosters. I just wish I could get in his head. I had hoped for a 2 year rebuild realizing the labor issue in 2027 might impact that goal. However I am a little critical in that his roster moves so far would indicate a longer runway to put a playoff competitive team on the field. He has made progress in a lot of areas so I have to give him credit and have confidence he can get the job done.

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

I haven’t put him in the miracle category yet. And I haven’t no way of knowing yet if some of the staffing and organization changes he has made will payoff. But you have to agree he was left with a dumpster fire. As far as spending I’m not sure he has total control there.

A dumpster fire? How insulting to Mo and his staff. Nearly two decades of very good play and you call it a dumpster fire. What must you think of the other MLB teams that fared worse? Also, the Springfield Cardinals just won the championship. How much of a 'Dumpster fire" could it have been? I here everyone that loves him talk about all the changes and yet no one can list any. Weird.

Assume you are sort of kidding about Mo. He was handed the keys to a championship organization and left it with no chance of competing. I don’t totally blame him. Ownership shares blame also.

Bloom accomplishments? Significant staff changes, rebuilt farm system, improved scouting, dumped contracts, etc. of course will these moves be successful? Who knows. Roster rebuild? I’m disappointed in that as mentioned.

In my eyes Mo gets too much hatred. Was he a successful GM? Coattails or no he has two rings. I don't know the daily contributions and the inner workings of the team but I do know that in nearly two decades they never had to tank and had a record in the top 5 or 6 in baseball during that time. As for his moves, I was all for getting Ozuna. Had I known that he wasn't really that good maybe I would have had pause, but looking from the outside that was a win for the Cardinals. But hindsight is 20/20. I was okay with some reservations about the Brett Cecil signing. Again, in that time period the Cardinals needed a good lefty reliever badly and all it cost was money. I was disappointed in how bad he was. Again, hindsight 20/20. Fowler, same. I do blame him for going to the Tyler Oneil well too often, but then none of the other options were proven. He's definitely made some bad calls, but also he was constrained by the DeWitt budget and whims. We'll see how Bloom turns out. Will he be successful or another rerun of Boston.

I've stated that what MO was attempting to do was among the more difficult positions
to be in as a POBO/GM. He attempted to maintain the playoff appearances, while keeping a
8-12 payroll. Oh, and the St. Louis flavor of keeping a few names on the roster. Name a team
that does that. A few misses like he had are disastrous. Easier taking any of the other paths.

Now opinion wise. I believe that model is even more difficult. Mid-range cost a lot let alone ASG
level. It just won't work without being constantly fed with new productive players from the system.

Today the team needs those players that you see as spots for upgrades. True, those positions
need to be upgraded. But which ones? FA adds of any value will desire commitment. Do they spend
on a RF, a 3B, 1B, LF, 2B when maybe answer to 1-5 of those is on the roster. That spending
won't happen today. Trades sure, they change who they commit to.

When you do something well for nearly two decades it shows that it can be done. Regardless of what they wanted or what happened, in the here and now they should put a product on the field worth watching. They're betting that the name alone will draw much of the fans back to the stadium while they play scrooge with the payroll. They're probably right in that respect. It still doesn't make it right to do it though.

Financial landscape has changed during those 20 years. The Cardinals while having success showed less success as that aged. Again, which team is successfully doing it now?

Which position players of the FA variety do you wish that the Cardinals have gotten?
I'd have been good with Ranger's contract on the pitching side. Do you think he'd sign here for that?

Where they are isn't a finished product and we don't really know how they will do. It will change.

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

[ecleme22]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

Blooms job was to keep payroll down in Tampa? Where’s your source?

[Ozziesfan41]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

You’re not dumb enough to actually believe he went in and started cutting payroll because he wanted to and Boston ownership said you’re not supposed to cut payroll and fired him because of it are you? You cannot seriously be that dumb

[Cusecards]

Just my opinion but I don’t consider what they are doing as “tanking”.

[Stlcardsblues]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

No one is on the Bloom train.

Many are on the “I like what he’s doing so far! train.

You are on the, “I don’t understand what a rebuild is,” train.

Keep telling yourself that fanboy. Gutting a team is fun and billionaires love it.

Continuing to run a team to try to contend for a wild card and hope for a World Series run traps franchises on a never ending run of mediocrity. It was time to try a different direction. Time will tell if this was the correct path, but there was no other path that didn’t require a massive increase to payroll which was never happening.

Running the team the way it was run the last ten years was a complete failure.

Just your opinion. Mine is different. I'm not on the tanking wagon. I feel that it's bad form. The object of the game is to try to win. Each and every year. What message do you send to the fans and the players? "No matter what happens on the field we will not support you." That's not an honorable message. If you aren't going to try to win you might as well forfeit your games.

The Cardinals front office hasn’t tried to win for the last ten years.

[renostl]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

1 Then quit. Still doesn't explain both on the payroll.
It also conveniently ignores the building part of the equation. It's happening. It costs to do. Costs more not to do
2. It's hyperbole to say that the farm was zero. I never have stated that
3-5. Cuts both ways anyone can slash. MO refuses send in Girsch. TB and Boston irrelevant. TB because their model has always been the same before and after Bloom. Boston transitional without patience. One could argue that the best parts of the current is due to Bloom and the whole Bregman, Devers and since moves will be a setback.
6. Maybe what he wants is a reset ASAP. That can't happen going down with the ship with $40M to SG and dwindling production from aged NA or WC who's production is matched by Burleson. Burleson at least shows up to work. WCs production is good at C, elsewhere not so much.
7. Guess work. However you OFTEN bring up a successful past. A past DeWitt was the #1 force in its creation. Jocketty before MO. Brought MO in to improve on Walt. Why think DeWitt is suddenly evil when the season hasn't even started yet?
Seems loyalty to that past would at the very least get us to OD roster for 2027.

[govman]

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

Nobody is saying that he transformed the franchise into a winning franchise………..yet. Hopefully we will be saying that in a few years. And everyone around baseball has talked and written about our grossly outdated development system, how it had been lagging, and especially stripped out in 2020, and how Bloom has already added essential staff there. He’s also adding staff at the MLB level, which the team has avoided in the past. That is what people are praising, because it’s obvious that what they were doing was not working.

You, however, are being dishonest about Bloom and his time in Boston. It’s not revisionist history, and it’s been written and talked about many times before, what he faced from ownership in Boston. Any person without an agenda can see that. And he left Boston a much better franchise than how he found it. That’s basically indisputable, despite the fact that he was forced to trade Betts.

You can talk about how prospects are not guaranteed to succeed, but guess who for sure did not succeed? All the players we traded, because the team hasn’t succeeded in any meaningful way since 2019.

Again with the "He's added this and that" with not a single specific. Do you ever get the feeling that you're part of the propaganda brigade? Yeah, those two LAST PLACE finishes by Boston speak volumes don't they. You know what Bloom's greatest claim to fame is? Cutting and controlling payroll. That's what he did for the Rays. That's what he did for Boston. Now he's doing it for St Louis. Last place here we come. Now that he left Boston they're having to replace the talent.

and were the Rays ever in last place? They also seem to always create good players that they get of eventually

[CCard]

Everyone talks about all the great things he's done and how he's transformed the Cardinals organization into a winning franchise, but no one can give any specific's. It's all platitudes and feelings. He's gutted payroll (not replacing any major league talent), he's added some minor league players but they're untested and just as likely to fail as succeed and yet everyone thinks he's some miracle worker. He led Boston to two straight last place finishes and was fired for his troubles. Yet here they say he's already worked miracles and no one seems to know what those miracles are. If you know, please list them.

Nobody is saying that he transformed the franchise into a winning franchise………..yet. Hopefully we will be saying that in a few years. And everyone around baseball has talked and written about our grossly outdated development system, how it had been lagging, and especially stripped out in 2020, and how Bloom has already added essential staff there. He’s also adding staff at the MLB level, which the team has avoided in the past. That is what people are praising, because it’s obvious that what they were doing was not working.

You, however, are being dishonest about Bloom and his time in Boston. It’s not revisionist history, and it’s been written and talked about many times before, what he faced from ownership in Boston. Any person without an agenda can see that. And he left Boston a much better franchise than how he found it. That’s basically indisputable, despite the fact that he was forced to trade Betts.

You can talk about how prospects are not guaranteed to succeed, but guess who for sure did not succeed? All the players we traded, because the team hasn’t succeeded in any meaningful way since 2019.

Again with the "He's added this and that" with not a single specific. Do you ever get the feeling that you're part of the propaganda brigade? Yeah, those two LAST PLACE finishes by Boston speak volumes don't they. You know what Bloom's greatest claim to fame is? Cutting and controlling payroll. That's what he did for the Rays. That's what he did for Boston. Now he's doing it for St Louis. Last place here we come. Now that he left Boston they're having to replace the talent.

and were the Rays ever in last place? They also seem to always create good players that they get of eventually

Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays finished in last place in their division for several seasons during their early years, specifically in all but one season from 1998 to 2007. They first avoided last place in 2004, finishing fourth in the American League East.

Got to give credit to them in that division though. If Bloom was involved then he deserves credit too. Though they've never won the World Series. In that span the Cardinals won two.

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

1 Then quit. Still doesn't explain both on the payroll.
It also conveniently ignores the building part of the equation. It's happening. It costs to do. Costs more not to do
2. It's hyperbole to say that the farm was zero. I never have stated that
3-5. Cuts both ways anyone can slash. MO refuses send in Girsch. TB and Boston irrelevant. TB because their model has always been the same before and after Bloom. Boston transitional without patience. One could argue that the best parts of the current is due to Bloom and the whole Bregman, Devers and since moves will be a setback.
6. Maybe what he wants is a reset ASAP. That can't happen going down with the ship with $40M to SG and dwindling production from aged NA or WC who's production is matched by Burleson. Burleson at least shows up to work. WCs production is good at C, elsewhere not so much.
7. Guess work. However you OFTEN bring up a successful past. A past DeWitt was the #1 force in its creation. Jocketty before MO. Brought MO in to improve on Walt. Why think DeWitt is suddenly evil when the season hasn't even started yet?
Seems loyalty to that past would at the very least get us to OD roster for 2027.

1. True
2. True
3. - 5. I don't think Boston and Tampa are irrelevant, it just shows that Bloom has no problem holding down payroll, good or bad.
6. If they got something worthwhile for Gray then I'm okay with it, If it's something good. Arenado had to go. Contreras production still has to be replaced. Burelson did what he did last year with Contreras in the lineup. That production is now gone. Someone has to pick up the slack.
7. Because Dewitt has made it clear that money is more important than winning. He of the "Keep the powder dry" crusade. If anyone thinks Mo did anything without DeWitt's consent they have to be crazy.
Look, I don't have a problem with adjusting players and getting rid of the non-productive players. That's just part of the game. But they should still keep up adequate payroll and field some semblance of a professional team. The Cards should never ever be in last place with the fan following they have. It's a disgrace but I fear it will be a reality in this coming season. I certainly hope not.

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

You’re not dumb enough to actually believe he went in and started cutting payroll because he wanted to and Boston ownership said you’re not supposed to cut payroll and fired him because of it are you? You cannot seriously be that dumb

Insults aside, no he probably did exactly what ownership told him to do. Just like in Tampa and just like here in St Louis. GM's don't run teams in a vacuum. They have to have decisions signed off on by the man/woman that writes the checks. He may yet work out, but it won't be just him. If you think that....well....

[CCard]

Bloom, 40, served as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox from 2019-23. Boston reached the 2021 American League Championship Series under Bloom’s guidance. After the Red Sox won 92 games in '21, they fell on hard times in '22 (78-84) and '23 (78-84), finishing last in the AL East in both seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak first mentioned the possibility of bringing in an outside resource during the General Managers Meetings in November. Bloom will work under Mozeliak, advising on a variety of baseball-operations areas.

Mozeliak said he first approached Bloom about the possibility of an advisory role in September when the latter parted ways with the Red Sox. Mozeliak described Bloom’s role as “more of a part-time role, more of an advisory role.” He said Bloom will not be relocating to St. Louis, but he will be with the club in Spring Training, and he will join the squad for home and road games during the season.

Mozeliak said Bloom wasn’t directly involved in recent Cardinals acquisitions of relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, Nick Robertson and Ryan Fernandez -- players Bloom had ties to from his time working for the Red Sox and Rays. Still, Bloom proved to be a valuable resource in helping learn more about players the Cards added.

https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-hire-chaim-bloom

Just a little more flavor to savor. Those last place finishes in Boston sealed his fate there.

It sounds like you are trying to make a case for Bloom being a bad choice for Cards POBO? Is that correct? You are not convincing me with the argument above. Much has been written and spoken into microphones about how Bloom was at the mercy of an ownership in Boston that demanded Mookie Betts to be traded and that the MLB payroll to be slashed. Bloom was a good soldier and did his job. The results were short term failure and a replenishment of Boston's minor league system, which has since resulted in a noted upturn in prospects reaching the bigs.

Let me reiterate....TWO LAST PLACE FINISHES for a high market team. Wow...Just wow. You guys are all in on the Bloom train.

First off, Bloom absolutely deserved to be fired in Boston. Two last‑place finishes in a major‑market, high‑expectation city will get anyone removed. That’s just the reality of the job.

That said, it doesn’t mean he lacks strengths. Plenty of executives get fired, learn from it, and come back stronger with a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Bloom has been in MLB since around 2005 and climbed steadily from intern to player evaluation to operations, eventually reaching a VP‑level role in one of the most efficient, low‑budget organizations in baseball. That kind of rise doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether he ultimately succeeds or fails in St. Louis is unknown — nobody can say that today. But dismissing him as unqualified ignores the fact that he *does* have the tools and experience to be a legitimate front‑office leader.

After his time in Boston, he joined the Cardinals as a consultant and managed to convince the DeWitts — which is no small task — to invest in a brand‑new player‑development facility. He also helped bring in strong player‑development personnel, including Cef and his staff from Cleveland, an organization known for producing MLB‑ready talent.

From the outside, I’m not fully sold on all of his trades so far. The approach has been extremely pitching‑heavy with very few positional players coming in. That’s just my opinion. But he inherited a mess and is trying to rebuild the minors under Flores and the new development group. And given that Busch Stadium is a pitcher‑friendly park, stockpiling arms does make strategic sense.

I still believe they need more positional talent, but I’m also aware I’m just giving my perspective.

The bottom line: yes, Bloom failed in Boston — the standings make that clear. But pretending he’s unqualified or incapable ignores his long track record, his rise through MLB, and the organizational improvements he’s already pushed for in St. Louis.

Thanks. You're the first person to actually enumerate what Bloom has done. I now appreciate some of what he's done more and maybe can cut him some slack. That being said, I still see no reason for the forced losing streak. I mean they're eventually going to sign talent, right? Why not sign some now and help this team to not be so bad? Surely DeWitt and company aren't worried about what amounts to pocket change to him. I just don't understand why they have to force a terrible losing streak on the Cards fans. So get rid of some older veterans. Okay. Just replace some with younger free agents that have game. Maybe it's not a Kyle Tucker but there's free agents out there that could really help these young guys and this young team.

Those events were always there to be seen and were not hidden.

IF is was only about money why not just let MO do the cutting? There no need to have Bloom and MO on staff.
No need for any of the additions to the FO. Just cut and the restart new after 2026. They've done the opposite
in an attempt to build. We easily see the cuts, but Bloom isn't needed for that. It is his vision for a
rebuild is why he has this job. IF it never happens, which is often the case since all ways fail, maybe it
can be the changes made in development that remains in the organization for years that will be
his legacy to the franchise.

1. Maybe Mo didn't want to put up with being the hatchet man for DeWitt.
2. Springfield just won the championship. The cupboard was not bare as has been widely circulated.
3. No matter what you guys think, Bloom did not invent the wheel or sliced bread. His job was to keep payroll down in Tampa. He did that.
4. He cut payroll in Boston. Then got fired.
5. Now he's doing the same thing in St Louis that he did in Tampa. The same thing he did in Boston that he got fired for.
6. Dewitt wanted to cut payroll. Why? Maybe the CBA and incoming possible strike? Maybe in preparation to sell the team? Who knows.
7. One thing is for sure. If you wanted to sell the team, this is the steps you'd take to do it. Not saying they will but this is how you do it.

Blooms job was to keep payroll down in Tampa? Where’s your source?

Google....

The Tampa Bay Rays have seen significant changes in their payroll over the years, with a notable increase to approximately $96.6 million for the 2024 season, marking a 35% rise from the previous year. Historically, they have often ranked among the lower payrolls in Major League Baseball, but recent seasons indicate a trend towards higher spending.