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

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

It looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are about to undergo a much-needed change at the top of the team. The way the team is managed will unavoidably change as a result of a change in leadership, but exactly how it change is yet unknown.

Being at the forefront of player development and analytics, as well as their dedication to innovation, were some of the things that set the Cardinals apart in the 2000s and the early 2010s. They were skilled at assembling a team that could compete for years at a time and win at a high level. Hiring Jeff Lunhow, a non-baseball expert, to head their baseball development department was a risky move for Bill DeWitt Jr. His proficiency in  scouting and player development helped the organization in major ways.

The Cardinals must resume making such audacious choices. bringing in the most innovative and accomplished voices they can locate to optimize and change their baseball operations rather than merely strive to be “good enough.” The ownership of the Cardinals deserves criticism for the direction things have taken since the middle of the 2010s, but if they can revert to this type of organization, I believe supporters will be able to overlook their mistakes and rediscover their love for the team.

If not, I doubt that any changes will satisfy supporters for very long. While change is vital, it cannot ensure improved outcomes in the absence of improved procedures and underlying ideologies.

While this may not seem like a radical decision at first, the Cardinals moving John Mozeliak to an advisory position or another position inside the organization to allow Chaim Bloom to take charge would be a significant change for the team and certainly audacious by their standards.

Since Bloom was added as a special assistant over the offseason this past year, the talk about him has only gotten louder. Over the past year, Bloom has been researching and suggesting changes to the organization, and it all appears to be geared toward his eventual takeover.

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today fanned the flames by stating that Bloom was anticipated to gain more power during the summer and could even assume the role  of making decisions in baseball. Bloom looks like it’s about to get a promotion, but will it be in complete control this soon?

It ought to be. It’s strange, to put it mildly, that Mozeliak is a lame-duck baseball operations person when the obvious successor has already been named. Mozeliak shouldn’t be in charge of Bloom once the season ends, even though I don’t think he should be sacked. Why give the guy who will be fired the following year the power to decide things that will affect the man taking over? In many ways, Bloom should bring back memories for fans of the Lunhow hire from the early 2000s. Bloom is undoubtedly a baseball enthusiast, but his background in scouting and player development is comparable to that of any other player in the game. Just take a look at the Boston Red Sox today, and you can see how amazing their farm system has been since he took charge, considering it was the worst in MLB. Take a look at Tampa Bay, who consistently do far better than their payroll each year.

Let Bloom get to work revamping this organization, which includes appointing his own manager—one who might be able to restore tradition, respect, and legacy to the dugout.