At the onset of the 2025 season, the Cardinals had goals to revamp their minor league and player development systems. John Mozeliak was left in charge of baseball operations for one more year, but the more important task fell to Chaim Bloom, Mo’s successor. He was brought in to do an audit on the organization and was the one that came to the conclusion that the Cardinals needed to rebuild.
And so, that’s what Bloom has done. Recently, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranked all 30 teams’ farm systems, and the
Cardinals actually were at No. 9 after drafting players like J.J. Wetherholt and Liam Doyle. Our friend at Redbird Rants, Josh Jacobs also wrote a good article on this massive step forward that the farm system has taken and pointed out something very important. Chaim Bloom’s work and expertise is already benefitting the Cardinals in a big way.
Chaim Bloom’s work already paying off
We do know this, that Bloom is very skilled when it comes to drafting and developing players. Just look at what he helped do with the Rays for so long. Also, pay attention to what he did with the Red Sox. They now have one of the top farm systems in baseball. Guys like Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell have made it to the big leagues. Bloom drafted a lot of those guys.
The point? Well, I think it’s that we can look forward to seeing Bloom put his plan in motion. No, it won’t be instant gratification. The Cardinals aren’t planning on being competitive in 2026, per Katie Woo. But we will get to watch Bloom kind of work behind the scenes to continue building a strong farm system. He’ll hire more coaches and instructors and modernize technology, and the players that do come through the system will have all the resources necessary to succeed at the Major League level. Bloom will develop those guys properly, and while not everybody will pan out, there’s at least a higher chance of success that they will in some way or another.
We’ll get to see players come through the system after experiencing new methods employed by Bloom, and that will be exciting to see. What he’ll do with the roster is anybody’s guess. Financial decisions are up to ownership. But it is clear that Bloom’s work is already paying off in a big way. For the Cardinals to now have a top 10 farm system according to ESPN is a big deal, and it shows that Bloom knows what he’s doing, has a vision, and will work tirelessly to ensure that vision becomes reality.
