2 ramifications of St. Louis Cardinals' Gary LaRocque retiring

Chaim Bloom doesn't become the organization's next President of Baseball Operations

This one feels a bit bolder than the previous ramification. Ever since the Cardinals brought on Chaim Bloom to be an advisor to John Mozeliak, it felt like a given that he would be Mo's successor. Bloom's track record is as glamorous as it is extensive, and his outside perspective would be welcome in a front office that has grown too accustomed to tradition.

However, Bloom's best days didn't come as a head of baseball operations. Instead, he thrived mostly in the role of player development. Five of the Boston Red Sox's top 100 prospects according to Baseball America were acquired during Chaim Bloom's tenure as General Manager. Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell, four of the team's top-five prospects according to MLB Pipeline, were all drafted under Bloom's leadership.

After Boston's appearance in the American League Championship Series in 2021, things began to unravel for Bloom. Yes, Bloom did receive direct instruction from ownership to cut costs while also fielding a competitive team, but plenty of mistakes were made surrounding Boston's playoff run in 2021. Bloom had to trade star Mookie Betts prior to the 2020 season, and Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong were the return. Only Wong remains in the organization to this day.

Bloom's offseason signings like Hunter Renfroe, Trevor Story, and Masataka Yoshida haven't panned out as planned, and those errors fall directly on Bloom. His player acquisition track record, both via trades or free agency, isn't as sterling as his drafting and developing resume.

The onus of Chaim Bloom's downfall in Boston can be placed primarily on Boston's ownership group. Regardless, Bloom didn't exactly blow it out of the water in aspects beyond player development. Therefore, Bloom may be best suited for a player development role. With the imminent departure of Gary LaRocque, Bloom could immediately step into the Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Development role. This will leave the highest level of baseball operations open for someone who has a better track record from a holistic perspective.