Chaim Bloom's pick for Cardinals next GM may have just been revealed

When the St. Louis Cardinals announced that Chaim Bloom would be succeeding John Mozeliak as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations last year, long-time general manager and vice president Michael Girsch was moved off of the GM role so that Bloom could choose his own second in command when the time came.

In the near future, we should expect to hear who Bloom has picked to be his general manager to begin his tenure running the Cardinals, and recent news out of Tampa Bay may give us a tease as to who his pick could be.

Carlos Rodriguez is leaving his role as assistant general manager of the Rays in search of a new challenge. Could that be the Cardinals?

Marc Topkin, who does an incredible job covering the Tampa Bay Rays for the Tampa Bay Times, shared on X that Carlos Rodriguez, one of Tampa Bay's four assistant general managers, is leaving the organization at the end of the season. Apparently, there was nothing wrong with how things ended, but Rodriguez was ready to start a new challenge in his career.

Could that be a promotion to the general manager role in St. Louis?

Rodriguez, who began with the Rays back in 2010 as a scout and rose to the role of vice president and assistant general manager back in 2022, assisting Rays' POBO Erik Neander in all areas of baseball operations, with a specific focus on major league operations, strategic initiatives, and international operations. Prior to that, Rodriguez oversaw player development and performance science, two areas that Bloom championed in Tampa Bay for many years.

We don't know exactly how much Rodriguez and Bloom worked together while Bloom was in Tampa Bay, but considering Rodriguez's experience with the organization, it seems like they would have worked together closely prior to Bloom leaving to become the Boston Red Sox's Chief Baseball Officer.

Leadership models are different in every organization, and while it's unclear what Rodriguez is looking for in his next stop, a vice president role and primary general manager gig with St. Louis would likely be a promotion, as the Cardinals' assistant general managers do not carry a vice president title.

Bloom could go in a number of other directions for his general manager role, but until confirmed otherwise, Rodriguez's name has to be one of the leading fits. Their familiarity and Rodriguez's standing in baseball make him a strong candidate, but it would not be the least bit surprising to see Rodriguez pursue roles as the lead decision maker with another organization.