Pay attention to this key detail in Chaim Bloom's first major move with the Cardinals

When reports came out that the St. Louis Cardinals had hired Rob Cerfolio as their Assistant General Manager, Player Development and Performance, the addition immediately caught my eye as a significant shift for the front office as Chaim Bloom's vision for the organization began to take shape.

I was high on the move rather quickly, but the more I sat with the news, I began to really contemplate a certain aspect of Cerfolio's hire that I find to be highly encouraging for fans of the Cardinals moving forward.

The biggest appeal that has come with Cerfolio was obviously his experience with the Cleveland Guardians since 2015. Although he only oversaw player development for them beginning in 2022, Cerfolio had grown into that role and become a trusted voice in one of the leading front offices in baseball, which was why other teams were making significant efforts to hire Cerfolio as well before he came to an agreement with the Cardinals.

Now, you've probably heard that take from a bunch of people already, but there is another layer of that truth that I have yet to hear discussed, other than when I brought it up on the latest episode of Dealin' the Cards - Bloom sought out the best possible person for the job, not just someone he had a connection or familiarity with.

Bloom could have hired someone he was familiar with from his time in Boston or Tampa Bay and many would have applauded that move, but it goes to show you how serious Bloom is about this overhaul that he has targeted the best possible talent from around the game to come reshape player development in St. Louis.

How different is that from what we have seen from the Cardinals in recent years? For a long time, the club has leaned on internal hires and prior connections to fill job openings that they have. Rather than scouring the baseball landscape and finding the best candidates out there, the Cardinals have trended toward names who they are comfortable with, think like them, and will fit into their way of doing things.

That is not what Bloom did here. Bloom was thorough and diligent in his search for his new assistant general manager. He wanted the best of the best to join his team. Cerfolio is someone Bloom is going to work side by side with this next calendar year as they overhaul player development, and then he will be the guy Bloom trusts next year to be the primary oversight of that area while Bloom takes over the entire baseball operation.

Again, I'm not at all saying it would have been a bad thing for Bloom to bring in some guys he worked with in Boston or Tampa Bay. It is still new blood for this organization and something they need. But the fact Bloom went and found a candidate from a competitor in this business that he had respect for, made him a strong offer, and is now empowering Cerfolio to make two significant hires himself in a new farm director and director of performance says a lot about Bloom's willingness to evolve and do what is best for the organization.

At the end of the day, the results are what is going to dictate whether or not this was a good hire for the Cardinals' organization. But as we stand today, the things I think we truly can evaluate how Bloom goes about decision-making and what directions he seems to be leading the Cardinals in. So far it has involved major front office turnover, a strong emphasis on player development, and bringing in new voices from other successful organizations to get the Cardinals back to being a top team in baseball.

All of that is such a breath of fresh air, and I am very interested to see where Bloom continues to take this organization this offseason and in the years to come.