The Cardinals’ reshaping under Chaim Bloom picked up another notable name on Thursday, with longtime minor league manager Patrick Anderson told he will not be back in 2027.
That move came on the heels of another major organizational shift, as Randy Flores had already left the Cardinals to become general manager of the Houston Astros. Together, the departures show how much of the John Mozeliak era is gradually slipping away as Bloom puts his own stamp on the club.
Anderson had been in the organization since 2022, when Mozeliak hired him to manage High-A Peoria. He moved up to Double-A Springfield in 2025 and immediately delivered results, guiding the club to a Texas League championship that season. Springfield came close again in 2026, but fell in three games to the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
Even with that success, Anderson is out, and the decision is likely to turn heads. The Double-A club finished with the best second-half record in all of Double-A at 47-22, and over the last two seasons it had become one of the system’s most successful stops.
That kind of run would normally make a manager’s position feel safe. Instead, it appears something about Anderson’s fit did not line up with Bloom’s vision.
The talent level in Springfield also makes the move more intriguing. Rainiel Rodriguez and Liam Doyle are both on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list, and Tanner Franklin could join them in the next update. With that much young talent in one place, the manager’s role matters even more, and Bloom may be looking for a different kind of voice to handle development and day-to-day direction.
The affiliate itself is entering a new era, too. On Oct. 6, the team announced it was changing its name from the Springfield Cardinals to the Ozarks Springbirds, making Anderson’s departure the second major change for the Double-A club in exactly one month.
Who replaces him is still unclear. The next manager could come from inside the organization or from outside it. Bloom’s most recent notable outside hire was major league hitting coach Joel McKeithan, whom he brought over from the Chicago White Sox.
With a lockout looming in the majors and the possibility that Busch Stadium may not be covered in red again until 2028, the spotlight on the farm system figures to get even brighter. That means the next Springbirds manager will be under a bigger microscope than usual.
Bloom is not chasing minor league trophies for their own sake, but the success in Springfield has still been hard to ignore. For fans who have followed that club closely, the change may be surprising. For the Cardinals’ new front office, though, it looks like another step in a broader reset.
In Other News...
Cardinals Bullpen Search May Reveal What Kind Of Move Theyll Make
The Cardinals are still shopping for bullpen help before the lockout, and the search itself says plenty about how they may approach the rest of the winter. Their relief corps was a problem area this season with a 4.40 ERA, so adding another arm is a clear priority, but the kind of arm they target could tell you whether they are thinking bigger-picture or simply trying to patch a hole for now.
One name tied to the market is left-hander Adrian Morejon, who would fit the need for another bullpen option. The catch is that he is expected to look for a long-term deal, and that is probably not the lane St. Louis wants to drive in. The Cardinals appear more inclined to chase shorter-term additions, the sort of moves that can help immediately and still leave open the possibility of flipping a reliever later for prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Rotation Plans Could Put Pressure On Matthew Liberatore
The Cardinals got more out of their starting rotation than many expected this season, with Kyle Leahy and a handful of younger arms helping stabilize a staff that looked like a question mark on paper. Even so, the picture has shifted with Dustin May traded away and Hunter Dobbins sidelined by injury, leaving Matthew Liberatore in the mix for what could be the final rotation job as St. Louis looks ahead to next year.
Liberatores case is complicated by the inconsistency that has followed him, and the front office may not be eager to hand him a spot without adding more certainty around the group. Jim Bowden reported that the Cardinals are interested in signing a veteran starter this offseason to anchor the rotation and help the bullpen, a move that would add competition and make the path to innings even less secure for the left-hander. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Rogers May Have Played His Way Beyond Baltimore
As the Cardinals sort through an offseason checklist that could include bullpen help, a veteran starter and maybe even a third baseman, Trevor Rogers has emerged as the kind of arm that fits the conversation. The left-handers recent run with the Orioles has put him back on the radar, and St. Louis has both the payroll room and a recent habit of taking chances on younger free agents, with Dustin May serving as one example of that approach.
Rogers would not solve every need in one move, but he does line up with a rotation that could use another option and a front office that has shown a willingness to bet on upside. The question now is whether Baltimores strong finish was enough to change his market in a way that pushes the Cardinals into a tougher decision when free agency opens up. [Read more 🡒]