Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Chaim Bloom Weighs In On Cardinals’ Non-Tender Decisions

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Nov 24, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals recently made some key roster decisions, choosing not to tender contracts to players such as Jorge Alcala, Sem Robberse, Yohel Pozo and John King.

All players are now free agents, and it would seem that their time with the Cardinals has come to an end. However, even after non-tendering those four players, new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom isn’t ready to close the door on potential reunions.

“There’s always some decisions that come around that point in the year, and these were the guys that we just felt it did not make sense to tender contracts too,” Bloom said.

“Now, I will say these guys are all big league-caliber players and just because you non-tender them does not mean you’re cutting ties forever. It just means you’re letting them become free agents. Obviously they then have the right to negotiate with the 29 other clubs, but we also could keep talking to them.”

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Cardinals Leave Door Open For Potential Reunions

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Cardinals in all likelihood will be moving on from the players that they non-tendered, but Bloom has kept the door open for reunions, and according to Derrick Goold, they have kept conversations going with Pozo and Robberse.

Robberse was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2023 trade deadline when the Cardinals traded away Jordan Hicks, but he is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss a chunk of the 2026 season.

Pozo was a feel-good story for the Cardinals this year, taking over as the backup catcher early in the year but also providing some big hits off the bench. If the Cardinals keep him and Robberse, they’ll likely do so with minor-league deals, per Goold.

Pozo especially makes sense after showing a lot of promise as a pinch hitter this past season, but was likely cut loose due to the surplus of catchers St. Louis has in their system, but he can also play first base in a pinch.

The Cardinals have already made some very interesting decisions this winter, and they’ll be a fascinating team to watch leading up to the Winter Meetings in Orlando next week.

It will be interesting to see what else happens with the Cardinals and what other decisions they’ll make.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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