5 bold moves the Cardinals need to make to overhaul their organization this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be on the brink of some long overdue turnover at the top of the organization. Change in leadership will inevitably result in a difference in how the team is run - but how different will remain to be seen.

One of the things that made the Cardinals special in the 2000s and early 2010s was their commitment to innovation and being on the cutting edge of player development and analytics. They knew how to build a team, one that could both contend at a high level and do so for years on end. Bill DeWitt Jr. took a gamble hiring Jeff Lunhow from outside of the baseball world to come in and lead their baseball development department. His expertise in scouting and player development helped the organization in major ways.

The Cardinals need to get back to that kind of bold decision-making. Bringing in the best and most creative voices they can find who will transform and optimize their baseball operations, not just try and be "good enough". Cardinals' ownership deserves flack for how things have gone since the mid-2010s, but if they can get back to being this kind of organization again, I think fans will be able to forgive them and get back to loving this team again.

If not, well, I don't think change will appease fans for very long. Change is necessary, but it won't guarantee better results without better processes and philosophies surrounding them.

With that being said, here are five bold moves the Cardinals need to make this offseason to overhaul the organization

#1 - Empower Chaim Bloom to lead the baseball operations starting this offseason

On the surface, this isn't all that bold, but in practice, the Cardinals actually having John Mozeliak move into an advisory role or somewhere else in the organization so that Chaim Bloom can take over would be quite the shift for this organization - and definitely bold by their standards.

The Bloom chatter has only continued to grow since he was brought in as a special assistant this past offseason. Bloom has been studying and proposing changes to the organization this past year, and it all seems to be in preparation for taking over at some point.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today added fuel to the fire on Sunday when he said Bloom was expected to grow in authority this offseason, perhaps even taking over as the head of baseball decision-making. It really does appear like Bloom is on the brink of a promotion - but will it be in full control this soon?

It should be. Having Mozeliak as a lame-duck baseball operations guy when the heir apparent is already identified is odd, to say the least. I'm not someone who thinks Mozeliak needs to be fired, but he should not be calling the shots over Bloom once the season is over. Why let the guy who is going to be done next year make decisions that will impact the new man in charge?

Bloom in many ways should remind fans of what the Lunhow hire was like back in the early 2000s. Bloom obviously comes from the baseball world, but his pedigree in player development and scouting is up there with anyone in the game. Just look at the Boston Red Sox right now and how incredible that farm system has become after being dead last in baseball when he took over. Look at Tampa Bay and how they continue to vastly outperform their payroll every year.

Let Bloom get to work on overhauling this organization, including selecting his own manager, one that will maybe bridge the gap of respect, tradition, and legacy to the dugout once again.