The long snooz:

[hugeCardfan]

It’ll be years before we can gauge Bloom’s work properly, since so much of it depends on how the team drafts and develops, as well as future moves like trades or signings. Bloom has been going for quantity of prospects over quality, with the Cards also eating a good deal of money to ensure that they have gotten some quality.
Modernizing the Cardinals “at every level.” This suggests a multi‑year process. It will likely take 4 seasons (2026–2029) before fans can fairly evaluate Bloom’s full impact.
The first meaningful results likely appear 2028–2030. Cardinals are behind in analytics, player development, and modern scouting.

John Mozeliak had enormous influence for nearly two decades.
Atlanta

Los Angeles

Houston

Tampa Bay

Baltimore

Texas

…all modernized aggressively.

St. Louis didn’t decline — the league passed them by
And now we get older and suffer along with them.

Kinda like-Jr.Bush (I hate baseball) Dal Maxvill- and your 1970's Cards------HELP

My concern would be - if the rebuild is going to take another 4 years, what if other teams again pass us by with new innovations while we are spending so long stubbornly focused on a 2024-2025 circa blueprint?

No other sport needs to take that long for the most successful rebuilds, even baseball often doesn’t take that long as Boston has gone worst to first, twice. In a single year.
The longer this goes on, the more risk we get mired in it for much longer than expected and a losing cycle builds on itself.
Players get used to losing, no winning tradition
Manager is extended with no urgency to win at the MLB level because that’s not the focus
Front office constantly focuses on the next generation of prospects around the corner and never decides to invest in fully going for it
Fans quit the game and ownership can’t afford to reinvest and keep talent
Roster has zero playoff experience so even if when they do make the playoffs for the first time they likely lose for the first year or two to an equivalent team with playoff experience. October experience counts for a lot.

I don’t think Bloom has plans to turn off the “hey let’s keep learning and evolving!” faucet.

Trouble is, despite all these smart trades and focused acquisitions of "prospects" other NLC rivals have more and better top high end prospects and recent prospects now producing young stars than we do. Pitt has Skenes AND Griffin. Both are better than Doyle and likely than Weatherholt by available rankings. And they have more behind that. Cincy has EDLC and Greene. Heck LAD has Andy Pages in MLB and Mike Sirota who looks like another future slugger in MiLB, 200 points higher OPS last year than Baez in the minors. Other teams are still way ahead of us in this prospect arms race and they aren't even 100% focused on "not winning now".

I'd like to see a committment to winning at all levels, sooner than 2029, or there will be some missed opportunities we don't even know we missed out on.

I don't think you are qualified to evaluate JJ.

[TheFantasyStud]

We are already there and nobody sees it. .
C - Herrera / Crooks combo could combine for 40 home runs
1B- Burleson - Silver Slugger
2B- Wetherholt - Rookie of the Year
SS - Winn - Another GG and potential 20/20 club
3B - Gorman - 30 bombs
LF - Nootbaar / Fermin / Baez / Church / Vasquez - someone surprises and puts up 3 WAR in left.
CF - Scott 11 75 stolen bases. Bat improves. With Defense could end up being a 4 - 5 WAR player
RF - Walker - 30 bombs 20 steals. This is the year the number 4 prospect emerges and becomes worth the weight
DH - Saggase, Gorman, Burleson, Urias, Baez, Valezquez, Fermin (Wish we had someone better for this spot but maybe we add on by the trade deadline. We’ll have plenty of $ and trade pieces.

Baez and Rodriguez potential down the stretch.

Starting staff has plenty of upside now and depth with May, Libby, Matthew’s, McGreevy, Leahy, Dobbins, Fittz, Doyle, Hence, Hjerpe, Hendrickson, Franklin etc.

Bullpen has an abundance of arms to rely on with high octane guys like Svanson, O’Brien, Remoero to close it out at the end.

Guys were there. At least a Wild Card 2026 possible division winner. These other clubs are over hyped.

[AZ_Cardsfan]

I think we could see results and become playoff contenders a lot sooner than many think as log as attendance holds above 2+M and BDWJr restores payroll to it's proper level.

The system is now up-to-date and modernized w/some quality prospects in the pipeline or about to make their debut.

2028 should be the year Dewitt let's Bloom hire his Manager and ups the payroll back to the norm.

I think the Redbirds are fine by opening day 2028.

JMO

I agree with this. I don't know which players will emerge from the farm but expect more than in the past and to be better prepared to play at the ML level.

I expect 2026 to be a lost year. Learn which players belong. 70 wins

2027 an interesting year with still lots of youth and a judicious signing of one elite talent to longer contract (assuming revenues stay) like 78 wins

2028 if all is doing OK and revenues are good they should spring for more ML level talent to fill gaps and be able to contend for the NL Central. 85 wins

2029 they should be able to contend for a spot in the playoffs AND possibly advance.

Not sure how the new CBA will impact all this but they are certainly in a good position to come out of it able to turn on a dime.

[Cardinals1964]

We are already there and nobody sees it. .
C - Herrera / Crooks combo could combine for 40 home runs
1B- Burleson - Silver Slugger
2B- Wetherholt - Rookie of the Year
SS - Winn - Another GG and potential 20/20 club
3B - Gorman - 30 bombs
LF - Nootbaar / Fermin / Baez / Church / Vasquez - someone surprises and puts up 3 WAR in left.
CF - Scott 11 75 stolen bases. Bat improves. With Defense could end up being a 4 - 5 WAR player
RF - Walker - 30 bombs 20 steals. This is the year the number 4 prospect emerges and becomes worth the weight
DH - Saggase, Gorman, Burleson, Urias, Baez, Valezquez, Fermin (Wish we had someone better for this spot but maybe we add on by the trade deadline. We’ll have plenty of $ and trade pieces.

Baez and Rodriguez potential down the stretch.

Starting staff has plenty of upside now and depth with May, Libby, Matthew’s, McGreevy, Leahy, Dobbins, Fittz, Doyle, Hence, Hjerpe, Hendrickson, Franklin etc.

Bullpen has an abundance of arms to rely on with high octane guys like Svanson, O’Brien, Remoero to close it out at the end.

Guys were there. At least a Wild Card 2026 possible division winner. These other clubs are over hyped.

I like your optimism. Go Cards.

[ecleme22]

It’ll be years before we can gauge Bloom’s work properly, since so much of it depends on how the team drafts and develops, as well as future moves like trades or signings. Bloom has been going for quantity of prospects over quality, with the Cards also eating a good deal of money to ensure that they have gotten some quality.
Modernizing the Cardinals “at every level.” This suggests a multi‑year process. It will likely take 4 seasons (2026–2029) before fans can fairly evaluate Bloom’s full impact.
The first meaningful results likely appear 2028–2030. Cardinals are behind in analytics, player development, and modern scouting.

John Mozeliak had enormous influence for nearly two decades.
Atlanta

Los Angeles

Houston

Tampa Bay

Baltimore

Texas

…all modernized aggressively.

St. Louis didn’t decline — the league passed them by
And now we get older and suffer along with them.

Kinda like-Jr.Bush (I hate baseball) Dal Maxvill- and your 1970's Cards------HELP

My concern would be - if the rebuild is going to take another 4 years, what if other teams again pass us by with new innovations while we are spending so long stubbornly focused on a 2024-2025 circa blueprint?

No other sport needs to take that long for the most successful rebuilds, even baseball often doesn’t take that long as Boston has gone worst to first, twice. In a single year.
The longer this goes on, the more risk we get mired in it for much longer than expected and a losing cycle builds on itself.
Players get used to losing, no winning tradition
Manager is extended with no urgency to win at the MLB level because that’s not the focus
Front office constantly focuses on the next generation of prospects around the corner and never decides to invest in fully going for it
Fans quit the game and ownership can’t afford to reinvest and keep talent
Roster has zero playoff experience so even if when they do make the playoffs for the first time they likely lose for the first year or two to an equivalent team with playoff experience. October experience counts for a lot.

I don’t think Bloom has plans to turn off the “hey let’s keep learning and evolving!” faucet.

Trouble is, despite all these smart trades and focused acquisitions of "prospects" other NLC rivals have more and better top high end prospects and recent prospects now producing young stars than we do. Pitt has Skenes AND Griffin. Both are better than Doyle and likely than Weatherholt by available rankings. And they have more behind that. Cincy has EDLC and Greene. Heck LAD has Andy Pages in MLB and Mike Sirota who looks like another future slugger in MiLB, 200 points higher OPS last year than Baez in the minors. Other teams are still way ahead of us in this prospect arms race and they aren't even 100% focused on "not winning now".

I'd like to see a committment to winning at all levels, sooner than 2029, or there will be some missed opportunities we don't even know we missed out on.

I don't think you are qualified to evaluate JJ.

Come on, Huge. We are a whole 3 months into the rebuild. Shouldn’t we have a young pitcher as good as Skenes by now?

[rockondlouie]

I think we could see results and become playoff contenders a lot sooner than many think as log as attendance holds above 2+M and BDWJr restores payroll to it's proper level.

The system is now up-to-date and modernized w/some quality prospects in the pipeline or about to make their debut.

2028 should be the year Dewitt let's Bloom hire his Manager and ups the payroll back to the norm.

I think the Redbirds are fine by opening day 2028.

JMO

Fully agree, this rebuild started in 2024 not 2026. It finally hit the Major Leagues this year. The organization is already two years into it. It won’t take four more years if done correctly.

Bingo!

[rockondlouie]

I think we could see results and become playoff contenders a lot sooner than many think as log as attendance holds above 2+M and BDWJr restores payroll to it's proper level.

The system is now up-to-date and modernized w/some quality prospects in the pipeline or about to make their debut.

2028 should be the year Dewitt let's Bloom hire his Manager and ups the payroll back to the norm.

I think the Redbirds are fine by opening day 2028.

JMO

I agree with this. I don't know which players will emerge from the farm but expect more than in the past and to be better prepared to play at the ML level.

I expect 2026 to be a lost year. Learn which players belong. 70 wins

2027 an interesting year with still lots of youth and a judicious signing of one elite talent to longer contract (assuming revenues stay) like 78 wins

2028 if all is doing OK and revenues are good they should spring for more ML level talent to fill gaps and be able to contend for the NL Central. 85 wins

2029 they should be able to contend for a spot in the playoffs AND possibly advance.

Not sure how the new CBA will impact all this but they are certainly in a good position to come out of it able to turn on a dime.

If Dewitt thinks they're ready before the 2028 season and ups the payroll (nothing crazy but at least back into the Top 15), then w/a strong 2027 offseason they could be ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2028.

JMO

[AZ_Cardsfan]

I think we could see results and become playoff contenders a lot sooner than many think as log as attendance holds above 2+M and BDWJr restores payroll to it's proper level.

The system is now up-to-date and modernized w/some quality prospects in the pipeline or about to make their debut.

2028 should be the year Dewitt let's Bloom hire his Manager and ups the payroll back to the norm.

I think the Redbirds are fine by opening day 2028.

JMO

I agree with this. I don't know which players will emerge from the farm but expect more than in the past and to be better prepared to play at the ML level.

I expect 2026 to be a lost year. Learn which players belong. 70 wins

2027 an interesting year with still lots of youth and a judicious signing of one elite talent to longer contract (assuming revenues stay) like 78 wins

2028 if all is doing OK and revenues are good they should spring for more ML level talent to fill gaps and be able to contend for the NL Central. 85 wins

2029 they should be able to contend for a spot in the playoffs AND possibly advance.

Not sure how the new CBA will impact all this but they are certainly in a good position to come out of it able to turn on a dime.

If Dewitt thinks they're ready before the 2028 season and ups the payroll (nothing crazy but at least back into the Top 15), then w/a strong 2027 offseason they could be ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2028.

JMO

True. I am trying not to get too optimistic. TV revenues have to increase and the fans return. Kinda chicken and egg thing. Which happens first but they need to draw 3 million again to really finish the rebuild and challenge for a WS berth.

[fullswing]

I thought this thread was going to be about Jimmy Durante.

[rockondlouie]

I think we could see results and become playoff contenders a lot sooner than many think as log as attendance holds above 2+M and BDWJr restores payroll to it's proper level.

The system is now up-to-date and modernized w/some quality prospects in the pipeline or about to make their debut.

2028 should be the year Dewitt let's Bloom hire his Manager and ups the payroll back to the norm.

I think the Redbirds are fine by opening day 2028.

JMO

I agree with this. I don't know which players will emerge from the farm but expect more than in the past and to be better prepared to play at the ML level.

I expect 2026 to be a lost year. Learn which players belong. 70 wins

2027 an interesting year with still lots of youth and a judicious signing of one elite talent to longer contract (assuming revenues stay) like 78 wins

2028 if all is doing OK and revenues are good they should spring for more ML level talent to fill gaps and be able to contend for the NL Central. 85 wins

2029 they should be able to contend for a spot in the playoffs AND possibly advance.

Not sure how the new CBA will impact all this but they are certainly in a good position to come out of it able to turn on a dime.

If Dewitt thinks they're ready before the 2028 season and ups the payroll (nothing crazy but at least back into the Top 15), then w/a strong 2027 offseason they could be ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2028.

JMO

True. I am trying not to get too optimistic. TV revenues have to increase and the fans return. Kinda chicken and egg thing. Which happens first but they need to draw 3 million again to really finish the rebuild and challenge for a WS berth.

For the first time BDWJr may have to alter his business plan ("Payroll size is tied to attendance") and invest in the payroll in order to bring back the 3M fans.

Let's hope he does it beginning in the 2027 offseason once the new CBA is in place.