8 steps the Cardinals should take to retool for 2025 if they fail again this year

The Cardinals have plenty of time to get into contention, but if things go south again, we may see them enter a true "retool" with young talent come July.

Arizona Diamondbacks v St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks v St. Louis Cardinals | Dilip Vishwanat/GettyImages
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Accelerate the John Mozeliak succession plan

Since John Mozeliak signed his extension with the club in February 2023, it's been widely known that this contract, which runs through the 2025 season, would likely be Mozeliak's last in charge of baseball operations for St. Louis.

While the Cardinals could run the first year of their retool with Mozeliak in charge and delegating responsibility throughout the year, I think it's likely that his succession plan would be accelerated for the benefit of everyone involved.

Ownership is not going to fire Mozeliak or push him out the door, but I do think Mozeliak would see the writing on the wall and either retire from President of Baseball Operations or take a backseat in the final year of his deal in a different role, allowing someone else to take charge.

While it's not fair to say this would for sure happen, Chaim Bloom has to be the clear and obvious candidate. Bloom, who has spent significant time with the Tampa Bay Rays and most recently just oversaw baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox, was hired as an advisor to John Mozeliak this offseason, and is someone that many view as next in line in St. Louis.

I asked Mozeliak about Bloom's impact on their offseason moves this past offseason, and he confirmed that he bounced various things off him, which was obvious given how many arms they acquired had ties to Bloom. Jeff Jones asked Mozeliak more about his own future and how Bloom plays into it, and while he was clear that it's not the plan as of today, Bloom "strengthens their bench of options".

When Bill DeWitt Jr. was asked about the decision to bring in Bloom, he mentioned that it's something that both Mozeliak and he individually wanted to do, and when you think of the kind of guy DeWitt may want to see in charge when Mozeliak is done, Bloom checks all of the boxes.

1. Bloom has already shown an ability to build winning clubs on reduced payrolls.

2. Bloom has been at the forefront of player development among baseball minds, something the Cardinals stress is important for building a consistent contender in their market.

3. Although things did not end well in Boston, they did make an ALCS in his tenure, and the Mookie Betts trade that he gets blamed for frequently was a decision that ownership was going to make Bloom make.

Should Bloom not want the job or the Cardinals somehow don't see him as a fit, they could promote a name like Randy Flores or Michael Girsch. Both names have legitimate cases for the job, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like the Cardinals would want someone with at least a bit of outside experience and perspective to take over for Mozeliak in order to give this front-office a fresh set of eyes.

If Bloom is not hired, it could be Flores or Girsch, but with how big of a job St. Louis is, I'm sure the Cardinals would look at names with other organizations as well.

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