Chaim Bloom provides unique outlook on Cardinals prospect's down year

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally beginning to break free of the shackles that have left them trapped in John Mozeliak's dungeon of mediocrity. With Chaim Bloom providing the team a clear direction to return to competitiveness within what is hopefully only a few seasons, brighter days look to lie ahead for the Cardinals as they slog through a rebuild.

As the team pivots to youth and prioritizes drafting and developing its next core of players, all eyes will be on the Cardinals' farm system to see how the prospects are performing. Fans and scouts expected big things from Quinn Mathews, one of the team's top prospects entering 2025, after he held a 2.76 ERA across four minor league levels in 2024. But Mathews was unable to provide a strong encore: After he spent over a month on the injured list with shoulder soreness, Mathews' ERA rose to 3.73 with Triple-A Memphis last season, and he lost much of his control, walking 74 batters in 99 innings.

Bloom believes Mathews' struggles could be a blessing in disguise.

During an interview with KSDK, Bloom was asked about how he sees Mathews at this point in the pitcher's career, and the new president of baseball operations acknowledged that while Mathews had an up-and-down season, the issues he faced could help him moving forward.

"It's not the worst thing in the world for a young player to bleed a little bit in the minor leagues. They are going to fail at some point in their careers. Very few guys get to the big leagues without experiencing some form of failure, and a lot of those who do then experience failure for the first time in the big leagues. ... The question is always 'How do you respond? How do you learn from it?' I think he learned some tough lessons in 2025. "

Chaim Bloom

Although Mathews rocketed through the minor leagues in 2024, there's no guarantee that Bloom sees the left-hander as a future fixture in the Cardinals' rotation. Mathews was drafted under Mozeliak during an era where the Cardinals prioritized players with strong control but low ceilings and would likely peak as back-of-the-rotation pitchers. Bloom may see Mathews in a different light from Mozeliak, and if he believes Mathews isn't the type of pitcher who will find success, he may decide to flip the southpaw in a trade.

If Bloom opts to keep Mathews and the hurler finds his way to St. Louis in 2026, Mathews could be an important piece in what looks to be a patchwork starting rotation. Assuming Mathews remains healthy, it will be interesting to see how he responds to the adversity he faced in 2025 and if he can become a more complete pitcher as a result.