MLB insider gives Chaim Bloom, Cardinals praise for committing to offseason rebuild

Save for their shocking division title in 2022 behind out-of-left-field resurgences from Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright, and Yadier Molina, the St. Louis Cardinals have recently been mired in one of their toughest stretches since the early 1990s.

With the team having finished outside the playoffs in three straight seasons and under .500 in two of those campaigns, it became clear that change was needed. Longtime general manager John Mozeliak was out, and in his place stepped Chaim Bloom, former chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox.

After commanding the bulk of the Red Sox's rebuild, Bloom has been entrusted with the same responsibility in the Gateway City. And, according to at least one MLB insider, he's doing an excellent job setting the Redbirds up for the future.

Ken Rosenthal lauds Cardinals for swallowing their medicine with rebuild

"The direction [Bloom] has taken with this team, that is the proper direction. This is what they need to do at this moment in time in their evolution as an organization. And the moves that he has made so far have been pointing toward a better future. Whether that transpires or not, whether he picked the right guys — that remains to be seen," Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory.

Between Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals moved off a trio of older veterans owed a lot of money, more so focusing on picking up roster and financial flexibility than any elite prospects. That's not to say that someone like Brandon Clarke or Blake Aita can't become a valuable piece of the rotation going forward, but it's clear that the age and contract status of each of those players hampered Bloom's ability to demand a huge return.

All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan, on the other, did yield an impressive haul, bringing back switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, a pair of outfielders, and two top-75 draft picks in a three-team trade. The restocked farm system has led to a lot of encouraging evaluations and rankings, hopefully portending the brighter future than Rosenthal envisions for the franchise.

Of course, this rebuild isn't over yet. There figures to be a few lean years between now and the Cardinals' next competitive window, as players like Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson are the next to hit the trade block. A lot of that time will be spent developing and evaluating the young players Bloom has picked up in these trades, as well as those he selects in his first few draft classes while leading the front office.

Though the work isn't done yet, the Cardinals have done some of the hardest and most important work by building a foundation this offseason. Even though it'll lead to a lot of short-term pain, the long-term gains from such efforts should once again place St. Louis among the National League's elite.