Ex-Red Sox GM Gets Another Shot, Announced As Next Cardinals Front Office Leader

Boston didn't want him, but apparently someone else did...

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

An old friend of the Boston Red Sox is set for a new opportunity.

After he was fired in September of 2023, it didn't take long for ex-Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom to find work. He was hired in an advisory role to the current St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak.

Many speculated that Bloom was hand-picked to be Mozeliak's eventual successor, and it appears the rumors have been confirmed. In their season-ending press conference on Monday, the Cardinals announced Bloom would take over for Mozeliak, but not until after the 2025 season.

The plan, according to St. Louis, is to have Mozeliak finish out the duration of his current contract, then transfer full power to Bloom for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Bloom will largely focus his efforts on the drafting and development of young players in his transition year.

“Our number one priority is to build up our player development system, so having Chaim in that role is really critical,” chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said, per John Denton of MLB.com. “I think we have the best of all worlds here. [Mozeliak] is going to see his tenure through and Chaim is going to jump in and try to improve what we’ve done on player development. We’re really well set this year and beyond.”

Bloom presided over the Red Sox from 2020-2023, which featured three last-place campaigns and one surprise run to the American League Championship Series in 2021. His first task when hired was to trade former Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts, which set a new tone for the Boston regime.

In a move that must feel eerily familiar to Bloom, the Cardinals also said they anticipate shedding payroll in 2025. Mozeliak said trades are likely coming as St. Louis looks to get younger at the big-league level and set themselves up to contend later in the decade.

Though Bloom made some notably poor moves at the big-league level (excluding Betts, there's failing to get under the luxury tax in 2022 and hanging onto Chris Sale for an extra year), he deserves a lion's share of the credit for building the strongest Boston farm system in recent memory.

Baseball America's No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony, shortstop Roman Anthony, catcher Kyle Teel, and infielder Kristian Campbell, the top four Red Sox prospects according to the general consensus, were all Bloom draft picks.

Bloom may have worn out his welcome with the Boston brass, but it was clear he had a knack for some of the duties of his role. Now, he has earned himself another shot to prove he can build a winner. We'll soon see if he's up for the task.

More MLB: Red Sox Brass Vows To Return To Playoffs In 2025, But Stays Mum On Budget