Cardinals: Chaim Bloom hire could come back to haunt John Mozeliak specifically

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals made a key move to add an influential voice to their front office. Chaim Bloom, who was recently dismissed by the Boston Red Sox after serving as their Chief Baseball Officer was hired as an advisor to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak.

"I have known Chaim for a long time, and feel that this is a great opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals," said Mozeliak. "It will be good to get an outside perspective of our organization from someone who is as well-respected as Chaim. Having a fresh set of eyes on all aspects of our baseball operations should be helpful."

However, this move may ultimately come back to bite Mozeliak. His contract is up after the 2025 season, and his recent track record does not inspire much confidence. Could Bloom eventually take over for Mozeliak if things go wrong?

Is Chaim Bloom the Cardinals John Mozeliak replacement?

Let's take a second to unpack what has gone wrong for the Cardinals over the past several years.

For starters, they rarely go after high-profile free agents and rely on internal talent to keep them relevant. They did not add any starting pitchers prior to the 2023 season and instead chose to trust their internal options, many of which failed to keep the team in contention. As a result, the Cardinals finished 71-91.

Mozeliak's recent track record in free agency isn't very good either. While Steven Matz showed signs of improvement, his season was cut short due to a lat injury. The Cardinals are three years into his four-year, $44 million deal. He makes $11 million per year with his current contract.

In addition, while the Cardinals have trusted their internal options, they have consistently bet on the wrong horses. A perfect example of this is the trade that sent Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays. Adolis Garcia also comes to mind. Both outfielders have earned ALCS MVP honors over the past four seasons, while Arozarena also won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021.

Meanwhile, players such as Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson did not pan out.

Granted, Bloom's tenure with the Red Sox was defined by the Mookie Betts trade, but an outside perspective could certainly benefit the Cardinals, an organization that was once considered a model of consistency.

Perhaps Bloom could do better in a different environment. He helped revitalize the Rays and Red Sox farm systems. The Cardinals farm system could certainly use some work.

But given all of that information, if things go south for the Cardinals in 2024, there is a chance that Mozeliak could be relieved of his duties in favor of Bloom. The team is desperate for change, and they aren't getting any of that with Mozeliak at the helm.

While Mozeliak addressed the Cardinals starting rotation by signing Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson, only Gray can be considered a top-level starter. Barring a potential trade for Dylan Cease or Jesus Luzardo, the Cardinals rotation is full of question marks, with their youngest starter, Matz, set to turn 33 in 2024.

But it's possible that Bloom is the heir apparent and will take over after Mozeliak's contract expires anyway.