The St. Louis Cardinals front office is stuck between the present in the future. John Mozeliak, current president of baseball operations, is giving way to Chaim Bloom, who will make all baseball roster decisions starting this winter. However, Bloom is rightly concerned with the product he will be taking over – and what Mozeliak with do with it prior to his departure. That's where the trade deadline comes in, as the Cards are well within striking distance of the NL Central and NL Wild Card races. Will they take a big swing? It depends on who you ask.
If it were up to Mozeliak, he'd likely do a bit of both. The Cardinals have obvious assets they could move elsewhere, such as Miles Mikolas, Ryan Helsley and Nolan Arenado.
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John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom are locked in a Cardinals power struggle
At the same time, the fanbase would be rightly furious if Mozeliak did not give St. Louis a real chance to win. Katie Woo of The Athletic broke down Mozeliak and the Cards' dilemma with Bloom looking over his shoulder.
"With its regime changing this offseason, it’s also unlikely Mozeliak will make a move that majorly impacts next year’s roster. That responsibility should fall on adviser Chaim Bloom, Mozeliak’s successor. He will be available for consultation at the deadline, but the final decision lies with Mozeliak," Woo wrote.
Woo also suggested that Mozeliak will try to 'thread the needle' with the Cardinals deadline plans, or otherwise known as making everyone happy. Unfortunately for him, there is no concrete plan that will make the Cards front office, ownership, clubhouse and fanbase happy. Someone will be upset, and assume Mozeliak put his own interests – or the interests of his successor – before the team.
“When we talk about all-in, I do think based on where the franchise is, based on payroll down and thinking more of the long view, we’re still trying to balance today’s success with ultimately having long-term success,” Mozeliak explained to Woo.
Cardinals want to win now and build for the future
In a way, Mozeliak does have a point. The Cardinals should set themselves up for long-term, sustainable success rather than taking a short-term gain. There are no moves St. Louis could make this July that would suddenly transform them into World Series favorites over the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yet, what the Cardinals can do is acquire players under contract beyond this season, for example, who will help them during a tough regime change at the very top. They can also part ways with veterans they know will not mesh with Bloom's vision for the franchise, such as Arenado if applicable.
What the Cardinals cannot afford is a power struggle, with either Mozeliak or Bloom pulling the strings while ignoring the other. Their best path forward is in lockstep, as awkward as that may look in late July.