Chaim Bloom puts to bed Cardinals fans' greatest concern as they embark on rebuild

As Chaim Bloom takes the reins as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations, many fans have been concerned about the potential of the Cardinals cutting spending long-term in favor of a model far more akin to that of the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom Bloom has deep roots.

While fans should not be surprised when the club's Major League payroll takes another dip this offseason, Bloom doesn't seem to be phased by that fear at all. During his press conference, he shot down the idea that they would just copy the Rays' model, instead seeking to build a brand and philosophy that works best for this organization and market size. St. Louis media legend Bernie Miklasz has reiterated to fans over the last year that Bill DeWitt Jr. told him that he believes that stars are needed in St. Louis, and while he has great respect for the Rays model, St. Louis cannot forsake the kind of spending that is necessary to retain or acquire stars.

Still, it remains a major topic among Cardinals' fans, whether or not ownership will give Bloom the resources to win, and they have been desperate for an answer. Jim Hayes of FanDuel Sports Network asked that very question to Bloom directly following the televised press conference, and Bloom gave Cardinals fans a very reassuring answer.

"I just don't think that's ever really been an issue here. When you look at the long-term of their ownership, they've always reinvested back into the club, they've always done the things necessary to sustain winning. And when I look at what's gone on throughout the course of this year, some of those initial investments that I sat down with them a year and a half ago and said these are really important for us to make if we want to win and win consistently, they've backed that and they've continued to as we've talked about things that need to happen within our organization so we can get the most out of our players, so we can bring talent into the organization effectively. They've been there, and they've backed everything, and I have confidence that as we go, and as this moves forward, they'll be there for what we need to do down the road."

Chaim Bloom assures Cardinals fans that ownership has already proven to him that they are serious about investing back into the organization

While all of that is fine and dandy, actions will speak louder than words, and I know that is what Cardinals fans will be watching for. I think payroll size is a vastly overblown topic as to why the Cardinals have not been successful, but I still agree that it would be a major mistake for St. Louis to drop that competitive advantage that they have over true small market teams.

For the Cardinals to return to prominence, it is going to require the very things Bloom discussed in his press conference. Returning to prominence in the areas of talent evaluation and player development, building that as their unshakeable foundation and never wavering from that commitment, and then taking that core they develop year after year and supplementing it with talent when the time is right. This offseason and likely for the next few seasons, higher investment in the minor league system and reduced Major League payroll make sense. But in the future, there will come a day where the Cardinals need to continue the spending they are doing at the minor league levels and also invest heavily into that payroll to maximize their chance at championship-level baseball.

But right now, Bloom recognizes they are far from that level of play, and so his preference is to invest in the things that will get them there quicker and stay on top for the long haul. That's not band-aid fixes, that's foundational changes to player development. Over time, if they are successful in doing that, fruit will bear at the Major League level, and Bloom believes ownership will be ready to invest in that team.