Chaim Bloom takes over as president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chaim Bloom says the St. Louis Cardinals will be sticking to their roots to get back to October baseball.

Bloom, who has been in line since last year to become the organization’s president of baseball operations, spoke to the media Tuesday as he takes over a team that finished the season 78-84, fourth in the NL Central and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

“The Cardinals win first and foremost with players we develop,” Bloom said. “That operating model that has sustained this organization for decades is still sound. But for it to develop the results that we need, we have to be elite at acquiring and developing baseball talent in every aspect.”

Bloom served as an advisor to the organization this season. He is taking over for John Mozeliak, who said last year he had advocated for brining Bloom in to get a fresh look at where the Cardinals were at as a team.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Bloom said Tuesday. “We’re not where we need to be. We’re not where our fans expect us to be. We are not where we expect ourselves to be.”

St. Louis has won 11 World Series. Only the New York Yankees have won more. Their most recent title came in 2011 in Tony La Russa’s last season managing the club.

“Our goal is to field a team every year and compete for this division and a World Series championship,” Bloom said. “In this competitive business, the front of the line is always moving. We’re not going to concede anything. We need to be focused on our ultimate goal.”

Bloom, a 2004 graduate at Yale, spent 15 years (2005-19) with the Tampa Bay Rays, including the final three as senior vice president of baseball operations. He was chief baseball officer for the Boston Red Sox from Oct. 28, 2019, through Sept. 14, 2023, when he was fired. The Red Sox advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2021.

Bloom said he will retain manager Oli Marmol.

“As far as our field staff, there are still some things that we need to sort out,” Bloom said. “I expect a lot of continuity. It’s a good group of people that really cares.”

Bloom could explore trades for Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras. Those three veterans all have no-trade deals.

Arenado, 34, has two years remaining on his contract and is owed $42 million. Gray, 35, has one year left on his deal. He is owed $35 million in 2026. And Contreras, 33, has two years left on his contract. He is owed $36.5 million and a $5 million buyout for the 2028 season.

“I don’t like to draw a line and say these guys are in and these guys are out,” Bloom said. “The game is too hard for that.”

In the past three years, the Cardinals’ farm system has failed to produce impact players. Fans have shown their displeasure with that.

The team’s attendance has dropped from 3.32 million in 2022 to 2.25 million this year.

“I understand their frustration,” CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “They love their Cardinals. They love their Cardinals winning. We’re going to make every effort to get back to that.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb