The St. Louis Cardinals are embracing a reset for the 2025 season and beyond. In a much-hyped press conference by Cardinals ownership, the organization has set in place a plan going forward to embrace change. John Mozeliak will be stepping away after the 2025 season. GM Michael Girsch will be assigned to a new role within the organization. Director of Player Development Gary LaRocque will be retiring and moving into a supervisory role in the 2025 season. Chaim Bloom is taking over revamping player development in 2025 and will become the President of Baseball Operations in 2026 and beyond.
With many more changes on the horizon, expect new names to be welcomed to St. Louis and expect older names to be saying goodbye. However, one name was not mentioned at all during the press conference. Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Randy Flores was not mentioned once in the future plans. It appears his job is fine for the time being but it is not for certain that he is in the clear.
Flores gets much recognition for his work in the 2020 MLB first-year player draft. The Cardinals are focusing on reshaping a failed player development system and the organization wants to return to its winning roots. Bill DeWitt Jr and John Mozeliak both stated that the organization has a great young core that should excite fans in 2025 and beyond. This is in thanks to Randy Flores.
The 2020 MLB draft was an absolute masterclass for Randy Flores. In a shortened draft due to COVID-19, Flores did not need the extra rounds to choose from. He managed to draft Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Tink Hence, and Alec Burleson who all are making impacts within the organization. The Cardinals did finish the season with a winning record and most of the contributions came from the players drafted by Randy Flores.
With Chaim Bloom gutting the player development system and starting over, will this mean starting over with a new director of scouting? If so, will Randy Flores be reassigned to a new role like Michael Girsch or will he be fired from the organization? With much anticipation for change this off-season, this is one move I look most forward to seeing.