Evaluating Chaim’s First Winter Running the Redbirds

Chaim Bloom, President of Baseball Operations for the St. Louis Cardinals (ClutchPoints/Getty Images)

When Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals' new President of Baseball Operations, moved into the big office vacated by the outgoing John Mozeliak, he knew the task that awaited him: strip the big league roster to make the org better. It was obvious as soon as the term “rebuild” was uttered that the 2026 iteration of the Cardinals would look drastically different from the year before, and honestly? Something needed to be done.

The team on the field simply wasn't good enough to win the division, and thankfully Bloom seems to have a clear vision as to how to fix it. The Nero-esque Mozeliak, on the other hand, seemed content to fiddle while the Cardinals burned around him. Bloom has taken a machete to the roster, dispatching three players from the Opening Day lineup in 2025, including one player who overstayed his welcome by at least a full season. The first deal Bloom made was, not surprisingly, with his former club, the Boston Red Sox. Bloom sent Cards ace Sonny Gray to Beantown, along with cash considerations, in exchange for RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke (now Cards #6 BA prospect) and a player to be named. Losing Gray's consistency at the top of the rotation will hurt, as will losing a résumé with 3X All Star appearances and Cy Young votes in all three of those seasons. That said, Sonny’s desire to play for a contender and his pedigree meant his time with the Cards had to end.

Sonny Gray MLB Profile (Baseball Reference)

There’s reason to be excited about Bloom’s return in this deal. Fitts tracks to be a back-of-the-rotation starter, despite his 2-4 record  and 5.62 xERA over 11 games last season. Clarke is an intriguing prospect with a lively arm and 60K in just 38 innings in the minors across 2025. Opponents only hit .128 against the lefty, whose GO/AO numbers are a gaudy 2.41. A second deal with Boston netted three right-handers in exchange for starting first baseman Willson Contreras: Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo (Cards #11 BA prospect) and Blake Aita (#30). Dobbins has already been placed on the 40-man roster, so it's clear Bloom has plans for the big righty this season. At this point, both Fajardo and Aita are depth pieces as Bloom continues to rebuild the Cardinals farm system.

Trade Calculator for Contreras Deal (Baseball Trade Values)

Between the two deals, Bloom added yet another arm from the Sox in the form of Dustin May. The former Dodgers hurler is a perfect signing for this club at this juncture: low-risk, high potential reward. In a relatively young rotation, May gets the chance to be the veteran presence it needs.The final deal Bloom has made to date is the one he shouldn't have had to make; Nolan Arenado was finally dealt, offloading $11M in salary obligation to Arizona in exchange for RHP Jake Martinez. The deal was long overdue, and had Arenado not blocked a deal to Houston during the 2024 off-season, Cards fans wouldn't have had to endure watching the ghost of the best defensive third baseman in baseball for another year. Over the past two seasons, Arenado cratered offensively, combining for just 28 homers and 123 RBI, a far cry from two seasons earlier when he recorded 30 HR and 103 RBI.

Trade Calculator for Arenado Deal (Baseball Trade Values)

Martinez should be a solid arm for the Cardinals in the future. The Saturday starter at Arizona State last season, the righty posted a 6-4 record with a 5.47 ERA. His eye-popping stat was his SO9, a staggering 12.8, which was good for 13th in college ball last season. The leader in that category? Cards first-rounder Liam Doyle from Tennessee. The same day as the Arenado deal, Bloom signed veteran hurler Ryan Stanek to bolster a bullpen decimated at last year's Trade Deadline. The middle reliever figures to slot into his typical lower leverage pen role with the Cards. Another low-risk, potential high reward move.

Bloom likely isn't finished. With rumours continuing to swirl that Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero are heading out the door, it's clear Bloom has been much busier than Mozeliak was during his final few years at the helm. Were Bloom's deals perfect? No. Did he fleece any of his GM counterparts? Time will tell, but perhaps. What he did do is make several necessary moves to start the process of getting the Cardinals back to their rightful spot atop the National League Central. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I'm excited about the moves he's made so far and am anxious to see what he does next...even if what's next is trading away two years of Donovan, my favourite player on the current roster.

About the Author

K. Scott Stewart is a lifelong Cardinals fan, living in Blue Jays territory. His love affair with the Redbirds started thanks to This Week In Baseball, when he first saw Ozzie Smith backflipping across his screen. A former community sports reporter and editor in the burbs of Toronto for close to 16 years, Stewart has been lucky enough to attend two World Series as a fan (1993 and 2006) and to find a partner who loves baseball as much as he does. Follow him on Threads @TheMindofScott.