Cardinals quietly made significant changes on same day as Sonny Gray trade

The St. Louis Cardinals made a huge trade on Tuesday when they sent Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, but there were other moves announced by the club that same day that have flown under the radar.

In a press release sent out that afternoon, the Cardinals announced that they had hired 10 new staff members for their minor league player development and performance groups, including a new director of hitting, Dalton Hurd, and previously reported coordinator and assistant coach hires, Casey Demko and Jason Early.

Along with those names came the hires of Wade Stauss and Rodrigo Vigil as minor league assistant coaches, Julian Rip as their minor league strength and conditioning coordinator, Nick Coberly as their minor league assistant medical coordinator, Morgan Ivey as their minor league rehabilitation coordinator, and Kily Gilbert and Jordan Hyink as minor league athletic trainers.

The Cardinals also announced that the following staff were receiving promotions within the organization's player development and performance groups: Brock Hammit (minor league hitting coordinator), Ryan Ludwick (minor league outfield coordinator), Emily Wiebe (assistant director, player development and performance analytics), Esmeralda Hernandez (coordinator, international administration), and Paige Schultz (assistant, player development).

On top of that, the Cardinals announced today that they are hiring Casey Chenoweth as their new assistant hitting coach and Kyle Driscoll as their assistant pitching coach while retaining the rest of their Major League staff.

The Cardinals continue the expansion of their player development and performance staffs, as well as added two new MLB coaches

While not flashy, these moves fall right in line with the kind of overhaul that Bloom has been tasked with doing in the Cardinals' front office. Two years ago, Bloom came on as an advisor, auditing the organization from top to bottom and presenting Bill DeWitt Jr. and the Cardinals' previous regime with a plan to rebuild the organization after seeing how out of date they were. In 2025, Bloom got to work implementing the early stages of those changes behind the scenes, and now, as the head decision maker, things are rolling at a fast pace.

I love what Bloom shared during his press conference following the Gray trade, that even during a rebuild, there has to be pressure to move the needle. "The more fully we commit to what we need to do, the better it will go and the quicker we will get there," Bloom said. "I don’t view this as something that’s about patience. I view it as something to attack with urgency."

Urgency. Attack. Go. That's what is going to get the Cardinals back to prominence. It doesn't mean quick fixes, but it does mean being ruthless in the kinds of decisions they are making. No half-measures, no retreating. The Cardinals are attacking their problems head-on, and in doing so, they can get back to prominence much quicker than it may feel in the moment.

While hires in their player development and performance group may not be flashy, it is these kinds of moves that can have major dividends long-term. Fixing their player development woes and making sure they have fewer "busts" and more breakouts and stars emerging will only help the club in the long run. It's what fans truly want, and once that young core is built up, they can supplement it with more talent and try to win their 12th championship.