As the John Mozeliak chapter comes to an end in St. Louis, the Cardinals and soon-to-be new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom must deal with their first and arguably most important looming problem. Cardinals fans are fed up. While there is still plenty to like about this team moving forward – specifically young players like Masyn Winn, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Ivan Herrera, All-Star Brendan Donovan and more – the end product is likely watching the postseason from home. That's a tough pill for this fanbase to swallow, and thus the attendance and by definition revenue has taken a hit.
For example, the Cardinals hosted the New York Yankees on Sunday. The Yankees tend to bring rampant crowds with them, if only because of their reputation as one of the most iconic brands in the sport. Beating the Yankees still means something, albeit even if that logic is slightly flawed. The Cardinals drew just over 25,000 fans for a weekend game.
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Chaim Bloom can't afford to gut the Cardinals and start over
Bloom's reputation precedes him. With the Rays, he was a retool artist who made the most of Tampa's limited financial flexibility. This meant finding diamonds in the rough, and turning other teams' scraps into postseason contenders. In Boston, he had more to work with but got on fans' nerves when he lost homegrown assets to more lucrative contracts elsewhere. Heck, he traded Mookie Betts. Need I say more?
Not all of that is Bloom's fault. John Henry and Fenway Sports Group had a hand in all of Bloom's decision-making. In St. Louis, he should have more freedom to build a team in his image. That image ought to include players who embody the 'Cardinal Way', and can draw fans back to Busch Stadium, as FanSided's Robert Murray explains well.
"The best way to get fans back in the seats is to get back to The Cardinal Way. That means investing meaningful resources back into the team. That means getting back to the postseason. That means doing anything necessary to win. And for Chaim Bloom, who will be replacing John Mozeliak in the Cardinals’ front office, that will be no easy task," Murray wrote.
Cardinals have hope, but fans sent a message on Sunday
The average Yankees road game draws a little over 31,000 fans, which is the second-most in baseball per ESPN. On Sunday, a battle between two historic franchises both still technically alive in their respective Wild Card races drew just over 25,000. Sunday contests tend to be some of the most well-attended games of any homestands. It's the weekend, and parents with childen can get those kids out to the park and home early.
But one series doesn't embody what has been a year-long problem for the Cardinals. St. Louis has drawn an average of just over 28,000 fans this season, good for 19th in baseball. Some of that should be blamed on the on-field product, but what the Cardinals lack most is buzz, even when the opponent is the New York Freaking Yankees.
It's Bloom's job to find the next Cardinals core and market them as such. Perhaps they're already in the St. Louis system. Considering his background, no one is more qualified to develop those players than Bloom.