Chaim Bloom's Cardinals are nothing like the old Cardinals

It’s 2026, you’re watching the Cardinals play baseball, and they’re winning? 

That’s been the case all the way through June 12th. As it stands, the Redbirds are sitting at 37-29, in constant chase of the ten-game over .500 mark. 

Winning isn’t new in St. Louis. Even though the last few seasons have been ineffective to say the least, fans haven’t adjusted their high standards. 

What is new is that the front office has regained its competitive edge, and there’s no more waiting around. 

Chaim Bloom is pure cinema for Cardinals fans

In a recent interview on "Jews in The Lou," Chaim Bloom talked about his approach to the emotions that running a baseball team invokes. 

“You talk about all the ups and downs you get watching sports, we have all those same things,” Bloom said. “You have to train yourself to separate those from decision-making, but I don’t think the answer is blocking them out or shutting them off. We’re human, right? If you’re not in tune with your emotions, you’re still gonna have them, you just won’t realize it. Then they’ll seep into other things that they shouldn’t. So I think it’s really important to feel what you feel.”

Bloom certainly isn’t letting emotion impact any of his moves this year. It’s a tight ship in St. Louis; maybe that’s why the tides are shifting? 

The first Bloom decisions that bewildered Cardinal fans came in the offseason. The departure of All-Star talents Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan sent a chill down St. Louis’ spine. The city hadn’t lost a core like that without recouping pieces in quite a while. 

After he dispersed the lackluster Cardinals core that spearheaded three years of mediocrity, Bloom did something else fans had grown away from: He took a few fliers. 

Ryne Stanek, Dustin May, and Nelson Velazquez were three players who had all seen varying levels of success at the MLB level. 

Stanek was quite possibly one of MLB’s best relief arms in 2022, May was a top prospect in a loaded Dodgers’ system, and Velazquez had shown glimpses of MLB-level power. 

Bloom signed all three players to inconsequential deals, and it’s already paid dividends. 

All three look like prime trade candidates come July, but if they aren’t dealt, they could aid the Cardinals in a playoff race down the stretch. 

May has been so good that he’s drawn comparisons to former Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter for his bulldog demeanor and late-bloomer status. 

Then came the in-season roster moves. 

Bloom’s aggressiveness in making roster changes has been one of the biggest shifts in the hierarchy. 

Recently, before a series against the Minnesota Twins, the Cardinals promoted their 25th-ranked prospect, Blaze Jordan, and relief pitcher Chris Roycroft. 

In a corresponding move, right-hander Hunter Dobbins and third baseman Nolan Gorman were sent down to Triple-A Memphis. 

Gorman has been on the struggle bus since his incredible 2023 season. It hurts to say, but he’s entered "Dylan Carlson territory" as a Cardinal.

In his last five games, Gorman was 0/14 with seven strikeouts and two walks. It got ugly, like, really ugly. "Gorm" is back to chasing, specifically the changeup, and his front shoulder seems magnetic to the first-base dugout. If a change of scenery isn’t in the cards, Gorman should take a trip back home to Driveline Arizona, where 2026 phenom Jordan Walker went to remedy his own bat path. 

The second part of this move shouldn’t go unnoticed either. Jordan isn’t a top prospect, but his .808 OPS in over 500 career minor league games is hard to ignore. He’s more than earned a shot, and in his first game, he’ll be starting at the hot corner. Getting his first at-bats against MLB All-Star Joe Ryan should be quite the introduction. 

Jordan’s promotion comes right after Bernie Miklasz of STL Sports Central said the Cardinals had deemed the young power hitter “playable” at the third base position. Convenient timing. Maybe Bernie made the call? 

The pitching side of this move is interesting. The Cardinals have been shuffling arms in and out all season. Their ability to mix and match with depth has no doubt helped the rotation stay healthy. Dobbins has thrown bulk innings and shown he can make spot starts, and now that he needs rest, Roycroft is coming up for his own shot. That’s how it’s done. If there were a textbook on front office technique, Bloom would be the pioneer of these roster decisions — at least in The Lou, where they were anything but a commodity. 

When did Chaim Bloom's aggressiveness become a rarity for the Cardinals?

The former man behind the Cardinals’ proverbial mask, John Mozeliak, didn’t show the nerve to make decisions like this.

Under the less-than-watchful eye of Mozeliak, St. Louis wasted prospect capital, signed unnecessary contracts, and eventually stopped gaining ground in player development. His disposal of pieces like Sandy Alcantara and Randy Arozarena still haunts the Redbird fandom to this day. 

This season, the Cardinals have promoted and given runway to the following players: Nathan Church, Velazquez, Ryan Fernandez, Bryan Torres, Jimmy Crooks, Brycen Mautz, Roycroft, Dobbins, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, JJ Wetherholt, and now, Jordan. 

In tandem, St. Louis made the tough decision on Victor Scott II, Yohel Pozo, Matt Svanson, and Gorman when it was time for a reset. 

All of this movement, all these big changes and decisions, and it's June 12. Sometimes you forget what it feels like to move forward when you've been backpedaling for so long. St. Louis is regaining ground, one step at a time.

Cardinal baseball has finally grown up. For a time, there were daydreams of winning, with quick blips of success. Rookies that the local media immortalized before any ascension, grizzled veterans inking non-earned extensions, and disappointing performances in trades weighed down The Lou. 

Now, the Redbirds are back to a gritty style of baseball that rewards one word and one word only: execution. Cardinal managers of old, Whitey Herzog and Tony La Russa, would be proud. St. Louis is a baseball city, and they’re finally letting the kids play. 

The lineup after Jordan’s promotion against the Twins will have an average age of 24.9 years. Bloom said this season would lay a foundation for the next wave of perennial success at Busch Stadium, and it’s done that and more. 

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