5 takeaways from the Cardinals’ press conference

Chaim is in, Mo is out, and Girsch is special.

A message’s power is encased in the ability to transfer it properly, avoiding misleading statements and loose end ideas. When the St. Louis Cardinals’ brass sat down Monday afternoon for a different kind of year-end press conference, the changes that were to be discussed were partially or completely already in the public air.

Via a scolding report (full of great writing from Katie Woo) from The Athletic on Friday, team consultant Chaim Bloom was overseeing a massive rehabilitation of the minor league system, and that it had gotten pretty bad in the foundations of the Cardinals’ home. The kind of bad where you’re scrapping by with a limited amount of instructors and personnel that can’t directly help players like Jordan Walker make a transition from the infield to right field. It wasn’t hard to understand at that point that he was taking over for John Mozeliak, the President of Baseball Operations who used to be the team General Manager before the title lost relevance. But teams like to make things official, and offer a level of transparency to fans… who fuel the entire game’s revenue system.

The press conference merely clarified what was already in the air and coming together. After Mozeliak’s contract runs out next offseason, Bloom will become President of Baseball Operations while Mo retires from that position. Michael Girsch, the guy whose job description would get four different answers from four different people, will be the vice president of special projects, whatever that means. Mozeliak will assume the GM duties in 2025 before he departs the organization, so they’re sticking poor Michael in the basement without a stapler.

On one side, they offered transparency with the change of the guard, but they did not assume responsibility for the last ten years of baseball, which has seen the team take an equal dive from postseason contention and front office savviness. Bill DeWitt Jr. talked about a new Jupiter training complex with more than five employees, how exciting the current 83-79 team is, and rarely offered a “we messed up” in his comments. Fans just wanted a simple “my bad” from the people they hand thousands over to each year, but nope. It’s not as surprising as it is consistent, so let’s get into a few takeaways from the chat.

5) The DeWitts remain bad public speakers

When it comes to detailing player development function and the allocation of funds, it should be Mozeliak or Bloom talking. When DeWitt Jr. and his son try to describe things, they come off as pompous businessmen who don’t think a car wreck looks that bad. They set a standard for excellence 28 years ago, but now get defensive about pulling in the lowest ticket grosses in 21 years. Everything that came out of their mouth had a taste which hit the fans and people watching like a “we didn’t really screw up” brick. That’s debatable.

Either let them say the right things, or let Mozeliak handle the questions like he handled the team funds for spending over the past decade-plus. It’s his foot on the gas, yet there’s the DeWitts making it seem like it’s not as bad as it looks. 83 wins isn’t awful by any means, but it’s the end result of a method that has worn thin. When Bill III belittled fans who dared to stay away to enlist real change this past season, he sent the mood around ownership spiraling.

I’d simply bypass everything they said, and pay attention to the major changes.

4) Goodbye, Mo, for good…?

Mozeliak is seemingly done in St. Louis after next year. Or at least we think that’s the case. It wasn’t mentioned that he’d move into a different role in 2026, like Doug Armstrong is doing down the street with Alexander Steen becoming GM in two years. In baseball, at least, that title is losing power and isn’t a public-facing position anymore. While the clean break of Mozeliak leaving is good, it makes the reshuffling of job titles a little iffy as the rebuild begins. Why not make a clean cut and just install Bloom as the baseball president now?

What’s even more weird is him being around for 2025 after the origin of the issues rested with him and his choices on where to put cash. Cutting it clean from him must have been too much for the DeWitts to bear as the transition begins. He suddenly wearing two hats this year while Girsch wears a different one entirely, and Bloom begins to do the work (but doesn’t take full title ownership) of a P.O.B.O. It’s all weird and makes next year seem like an afterthought. On the other hand, he’s been the vocal face of the front office for years, so assuming those two roles won’t be a surprise for reporters and fans reading his quotes.

All in all, that was the best news yesterday. The Mo Era is officially done. We get another season of witty, dry soundbites.

3) The MLB payroll will decrease

Again, this much had to be assumed when Katie Woo’s article came out, because that’s the root cause of the issue. Mozeliak has pushed most of the funds given to him by DeWitt Jr. to the big league club, and the lower levels have been neglected. It makes neat headlines, but sucks in the long run unless you collect pennants and/or World Series appearances. Applying a better balance was always in the cards. While the ownership didn’t say it in the right way, most likely due to being new to this, it was written in the air.

It’s good news. After all, the fans made enough of a statement to help bring on this change, but now will get to experience it first hand. The result will be less Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras-type signings, and more playing time to cost controlled players that are already in the system. For a team that has liked to seem like they’re in it, it’s a necessary change.

Don’t count out a younger roster putting something together. Bloom’s Yale-educated executive did make his first dent in the big leagues by turning the Tampa Bay Rays into a lean spending and winning machine.

2) But what about Bloom’s dismissal in Boston?

First, it’s important to remember that he took the Red Sox from a thin minor league system to one of the more prominent in baseball. He drafted the current #1 prospect in baseball there. But in four seasons, the must win nature of the Red Sox swallowed him up and spit him out. It’s almost as if they didn’t understand what a rebuild meant. The work he did is being enjoyed by another team executive in Boston right now.

It shows that the distance between the market of Tampa and the mad frenzy surrounding Boston is vast and stuffed with miles, so the middle of the pack Cards will be a nice third round of Bloom’s broom action. He’s definitely got something to prove after Boston, but I wouldn’t place the blame of those losing clubs on his shoulders alone.

1) Will the DeWitts sell if the team doesn’t rebound quickly?

Along with their public speaking deficiencies and inability to admit fault, Bill II and III will always hold the poker hand of a veteran gambler. They won’t show their true cards, and could become disgruntled with the supposedly long process after a few years. After 30 years of owning the team, they could move on, especially with the fast-moving pace of the analytics game and the murky television rights. If businessmen don’t see a proper investment, anything is possible.

However, I’d place my bets on them staying for the time being, at least through the Bloom five-year contract. The franchise still is worth a pretty penny and could grow into something more, and the connection to Ballpark “DeWitt” village ties them to the property and area. I do see a slow progression from Junior to DeWitt III, even if the latter’s title is team president, which handles more non-baseball affairs. I bet they’d like to take all the credit for another franchise turnaround. They did it in the 90s. Can they pull it off again?

With Mozeliak gone and the new guy being liked for the time being, the scope of fan discontent will stay on the family that owns the team. Their messaging and ways of conducting this rebuild will determine how many fans start to trickle back into Busch next year and the year after.

The big takeaway is that Bloom is taking over, unofficially now and officially next year. He has the hands on the controls, and let’s hope he does a better job than Mo did the past 5-10 years after a sterling beginning to his front office management career.

Cardinals baseball is over until February, so rest easy, find some good movies to watch, and get set for some hockey. The tides have officially shifted in St. Louis sports… for now. Let the games begin!