Chaim Bloom is about to watch a familiar blueprint play out on baseball’s biggest stage, and the Cardinals are supposed to be next in line.
The Rays are headed to the 2026 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the organization at the center of so much industry admiration has a very familiar thread running through it: Bloom, now the Cardinals president of baseball operations, is credited with authoring “The Rays Way.” That development manual helped Tampa Bay hang with the Yankees, Red Sox and the rest of the American League despite having far fewer resources, and it became the template other clubs wanted to copy.
Bloom got his start in the Rays’ player development operation and put together “The Rays Way” in 2008. The concept was bigger than a binder on a shelf.
It was about building a culture, staying flexible and getting better at every turn. Bloom has been clear that no one person or document defines a successful organization, but the Rays used that mindset to become the gold standard from 2008-2019, and they’ve still carried it forward since his departure, reaching their second World Series since 2020.
The list of people who came through that Tampa Bay front office reads like a who’s who of modern baseball decision-makers. Erik Neander, Andrew Friedman, Matt Arnold, James Click and Bloom all worked closely together in the Rays’ early rise, and each has since climbed into higher-profile roles elsewhere.
Friedman, Neander, Arnold and Click have all led teams to the World Series, and by the time this World Series ends, Bloom will be the only one of that group who has not done it as a lead executive. He and one of Arnold or Neander will also be without a title.
For Bloom, St. Louis is his second shot at transplanting that model somewhere else, and the argument here is that he has better conditions to work with than he ever did in Boston.
Since his first day in the Cardinals’ top baseball role, Bloom has stressed a version of patience that does not mean sitting still. He has pushed the idea that the Cardinals have to work with the same urgency and edge that the Brewers and Rays will bring to the World Series.
At his introductory press conference in September 2024, he said, "The competition in this area of our industry has been absolutely relentless over the past decade," Bloom stated during his introductory press conference back in September 2024. "It takes boldness and humility to get on top and to stay there.
And if you stand still and you rest on your laurels for even just a moment, you get beat."
That introduction came in 2024, even though Bloom did not officially replace John Mozeliak until the end of the 2025 season. Before that, he had already been inside the organization as a consultant, starting prior to the 2024 season and spending that year evaluating the Cardinals’ player development process.
After he presented those findings to ownership, they decided he was the right person to guide the next phase of the franchise. Mozeliak had initially brought Bloom in as a possible successor at the end of his final contract.
The work ramped up in 2025. Bloom was deeply involved in overhauling player development, and the organization added Rob Cerfolio, Larry Day, Matt Pierpont and Carl Kochan. The results showed up quickly in the minors.
Once Bloom officially took over after the 2025 season, he turned his attention to scouting and kept adding talent to the pipeline. The offseason trade haul from Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray brought in more premium pieces, and when that was paired with a strong 2025 draft, smart selling at the trade deadline and solid returns in the 2026 draft and trade deadline, the Cardinals’ farm system took a major leap forward and now looks like one of the best in baseball.
That’s the same kind of roster-building muscle the Rays have made famous: identifying talent wherever it’s available, then getting the most out of it. Draft, free agency, international amateurs, trades, waiver claims - Tampa Bay has made a habit of finding value everywhere.
That is the standard the Cardinals have been trying to reach, with the added benefit of St. Louis’ resources and fan base behind it.
A 77-85 season and a fourth straight missed postseason might make any talk of progress sound premature, but the article’s view is that 2027 is the year the payoff starts to become visible. The Cardinals already have a young core that includes JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Masyn Winn, Quinn Mathews, Kyle Leahy, Cooper Hjerpe, Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy. More help is coming too, with Rainiel Rodriguez, Tanner Franklin, Liam Doyle, Jesus Baez, Tai Peete, Josiah Ragsdale, Tekoah Roby and others in the system.
So while Tampa Bay and Milwaukee battle for the championship, the Cardinals’ message is simple: the rebuild is still underway, but Bloom has them in position to make the next push with real momentum behind it.
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Cardinals Could Be Near A Tough Nolan Gorman Decision
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The Cardinals also have internal options at third base, which gives them some flexibility if they decide the roster is better served by moving on. Gorman still has two years of team control left, and his arbitration salary is projected around $3.4 million, so tendering him a contract would not be a major financial burden. Even so, the more likely path may be to keep the door open while exploring trade possibilities this winter, leaving the club with a decision that is practical on paper but tougher in reality. [Read more 🡒]