Chaim Bloom will take over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations in 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals are making big changes to their front office — but not until after the 2025 season, team owner and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. announced Monday during his year-end press conference.

Chaim Bloom, the former general manager of the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, will take over as the Cardinals' president of baseball operations in the 2025 offseason, replacing longtime front office executive John Mozeliak.

The Cardinals, who finished the season 83-79 and missed the postseason for the second straight year, agreed to a five-year contract with Bloom, who served as a consultant for St. Louis in 2024 and examined the team's player development processes.

“We have always prided ourselves on recruiting and developing our own players,” DeWitt said. “It is clear that we need to make significant changes to return to this model. Our future baseball decisions will focus on developing our player pipeline and giving our young core every opportunity to succeed in the Major Leagues.”

DeWitt described the move as a “transition period” for the team. Current Cardinals general manager Mike Girsch has been named vice president of special projects, while Mozeliak – the current president of baseball operations – will work closely with Bloom in his final year in office.

“I want to get us on the path to winning consistently again,” said the 55-year-old Mozeliak.

The Cardinals have had just one losing season (2023) since Mozeliak took over as general manager in 2007, but have seen other teams overtake them in areas of player development, a focus of Monday's press conference.

Player development will continue to be a focus for Bloom during the transition period.

“It takes courage and humility to get to the top and stay there,” Bloom said. “And if you stand still and rest on your laurels for even a moment, you will be beaten. To drive this change, ownership has given us the green light to make real investment across the department.”

After discussing the changes in player development, DeWitt was asked what the team's major league payroll might look like in 2025.

“We haven’t estimated what our payroll will be next year,” DeWitt said. “Putting a lot of resources into player development is a key part of ensuring we remain competitive year after year. It’s an allocation of resources.”

Bloom, 41, was the Red Sox's chief baseball officer from October 2019 to September 2023, when he was fired following Boston's last-place finish. Before that, he was an executive with the Rays at a time when the franchise excelled in player development.

Bloom, who was hired by the Cardinals last January, will be tasked with revitalizing the team in the same department.

“Catching up is important,” Bloom said. “But we want to be able to set the tone so we’re not just trying to copy everyone else. We want to find our own way.”