Ken Rosenthal praises Chaim Bloom amid Cardinals’ rebuild

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 4:15 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have gone through a major rebuild this offseason , in Major League Baseball. St. Louis traded away a lot of veterans, including Sonny Gray and Brendan Donovan. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is getting a tip of the cap for those moves, by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.

“We don’t know exactly how this is going to turn out, but the direction he has taken with this team, that is the proper direction,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “….The moves he has made so far have been pointing toward a better future.”

Chaim Bloom is going in the proper direction with the Cardinals, says @Ken_Rosenthal.

"This is what they need to do, at this moment in time, in their evolution as an organization." pic.twitter.com/kgrfyLgoKN

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 3, 2026

Bloom is new to his job with the Cardinals. He is trying to rebuild a baseball club that went just 78-84 during the 2025 season. Bloom previously worked with the Boston Red Sox, as Chief Baseball Officer.

St. Louis missed the postseason in 2025, and finished fourth in the NL Central.

Will the Cardinals be able to win right away after Chaim Bloom’s trades?

Gray and Donovan were veterans who had played a good while in St. Louis. The Redbirds also traded Nolan Arenado and Wilson Contreras this offseason.

“As a consequence of that quartet of trades, the Cardinals have greatly improved the organizational pitching reserves, both in terms of quantity and quality, but have also greatly diminished their chances of relevance in 2026 and, very likely, 2027,” Dayn Perry wrote for CBS Sports.

The Cardinals have some young prospects they look to now to help fill the gaps. One of those prospects is JJ Wetherholt, a shortstop who is seen as one of the top MLB prospects in 2026.

“With Monday’s Brendan Donovan trade opening a route for Wetherholt to get lots of playing time, his skill set (infield fit, standout approach and contact, 20-20 upside) is reliable in terms of minor league performance quickly showing up at the big-league level,” Kiley McDaniel wrote Tuesday for ESPN.

Time will tell if the Cardinals can turn it around right away, following Bloom’s moves. Spring Training games begin later in February for the club.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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