photo: Chaim Bloom (FanDuel Sports Midwest)
The St. Louis Cardinals officially transferred Baseball Operations power from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom with many open questions about the 2026 roster. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.
Two transitionary press conferences
As is typical when the season ends and the team is not in the postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals organization held their end of season press conferences at the beginning of the week. This year there were two such conferences, one for the outgoing President of Baseball Operations and a second one to introduce the new President of Baseball Operations.
On Monday, September 29, the Chairman of the Cardinals, Bill DeWitt Jr, the President of the Cardinals, Bill DeWitt III, and the outgoing President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak, met with the assembled media.
Mozeliak, 56, spent 30 years with the Cardinals organization, the last 18 as head of the Baseball Operations department. His legacy includes the World Series Championship in 2011, National League Championships in 2011 and 2013, and six NL Central Division titles, in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2022.
Mozeliak expressed no regrets following his long tenure with the organization but acknowledged the time had come for a change in both voice and direction.
Segway into the second press conference on Tuesday, as that new voice, Chaim Bloom, along with both DeWitts, was introduced to the media and the fans. The introduction came from the senior DeWitt. Bloom is already known to some, as he has been in the organization for the past two seasons as an adviser to Mozeliak.
Bloom’s primary duties were to oversee an overhaul of the Player Development system, an area in which he has prior experience with both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. Bloom has spent the last two years doing just that and will continue to monitor the progress there as he takes on his broader new duties as President of Baseball Operations.
The press conference was not lengthy and was short on specifics. Bloom did make it clear that his goal was to bring the organization back to its former glory as a division winner and perennial World Series contender. How he plans to go about doing that was left open, with only a promise to try to win without sacrificing the long-term goal of bringing the organization back to where it needs to be.
Bloom gave no timetables for these long-term goals nor any specifics on player movement or his approach to the current offseason. He did promise to make moves that could help the team win in the short term if they were in service to the long-term plan. When asked about the 2026 payroll, DeWitt Jr. said it has not yet been discussed.
As for the future look of the staff, manager Oli Marmol will return for the final year of his contract. Changes to the coaching staff were not specifically discussed and therefore cannot be ruled out, though most of them are expected to be back for 2026.
The Big Picture
As the postseason continues, and the offseason looms, the future look of the team is left for the reader to ponder. Who will stay for the next season, and who will be sent out for future employment elsewhere?
There will be additions and subtractions to the 40-man roster, as some players will depart as free agents and others will be removed to make room for players from the minor leagues who will need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft coming in December. There also may be players who are non-tendered at the deadline in November.
Several players are possible trade pieces. The offense is left-handed dominant, so potential trade candidates include Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds are also awash in left-handed position players. Acquisition of a few right-handed position players could be on the offseason menu, perhaps to strengthen the corner outfield.
The major league rotation is losing free agent Miles Mikolas for sure, and Sonny Gray return is unclear. Replacements from the minor leagues are slim pickings as starting pitchers Tekoah Roby and Sem Robberse are both out with Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Quinn Mathews ended his uneven 2025 with question marks remaining as to his readiness for the major leagues.
The possibility of reliever Kyle Leahy converting to a starter has been discussed. Andre Pallante’s future is uncertain given his struggles in 2025, though the team has not indicated they intend to move on from him in the rotation. At this point, only Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy appear to be locks for 2026 rotation berths.
With at least three question marks, the rotation is the most glaring weakness for this team. It seems additions, if there are any, should be here. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. is well known for ruling out big dollar free agents. The starting pitching market for 2026 is not yet fully flushed out, as several potential free agents have options that may or may not be exercised and others could be extended qualifying offers which would diminish their value to the Cardinals.
Starters could also be obtained via the trade market, though the Cardinals may not have pieces valuable enough to get more than a mid to bottom end of the rotation type of pitcher in return. Given that the team is trying to build for the future, trading top minor league prospects for major leaguers seems unlikely.
The future is uncertain, and the 2026 major league roster is up in the air currently. As the offseason unfolds, the plan for the coming season should be exposed by their actions (or inaction). Only time will tell.
Final NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | WCGB |
| Milwaukee | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | ||
| Chicago | 92 | 70 | 0.568 | 5 | |
| Cincinnati | 83 | 79 | 0.512 | 14 | |
| St. Louis | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 19 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 71 | 91 | 0.438 | 26 | 12 |
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 9/29 The Cardinals recalled RHPs Sem Robberse, Roddery Muñoz, Tekoah Roby, and Andre Granillo, LHPs Anthony Veneziano and Nick Raquet, OFs Matt Koperniak and Michael Siani, and 2B César Prieto from the Memphis Redbirds.
- 9/29 The Cardinals recalled RHP Tink Hence from the Springfield Cardinals.
- 9/29 The Cardinals activated 1B Willson Contreras and SS Masyn Winn from the 10-day injured list.
These moves are part of an end of season requirement to return all 40-man players to the majors.
Injury Report
- LHP Zack Thompson (left lat strain) remains on the 60-day injured list. Thompson’s status with the Cardinals is unknown.
- SS Masyn Winn (right knee torn meniscus) was activated from the 10-day injured list in preparation for the filing of Reserve Lists in November. Winn had surgery on September 25 and is expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training.
- 1B Willson Contreras was activated from the 10-day injured list in preparation for the filing of Reserve Lists in November. Contreras is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training.
- DH Iván Herrera will have offseason surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. He is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training while refocusing this winter on his catching defense.
- 2B Brendan Donovan (groin) is expected to be healthy and ready to play for Spring Training.
Looking Ahead
The Postseason has begun. The Wild Card Series ended on Thursday, October 2, with the elimination of the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians.
The National League and American League Division Series began on Saturday, October 4. Both series will conclude by Friday, October 10, if not before. The Championship Series will begin on Saturday, October 11.
During this period, the Arizona Fall League opens on Monday, October 6 and continues through Wednesday, November 12. The Cardinals are sending eight players to the AFL, who will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They are RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Darlin Saladin, RHP Tyler Bradt, RHP Randel Clemente, RHP D.J. Carpenter, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Miguel Ugueto and OF Travis Honeyman.
Our Daily AFL Notebooks at The Cardinal Nation recapping all the action from the desert will return on Wednesday morning, October 8.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past once again highlights notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise during a particular period.
This installment covers events that occurred during the period September 29 through October 5 with focus on records set or broken, transactions, and any other notable items.
For each event, the date of the event, the individual(s) involved, a description of the even and any other relevant details are provided.
September 29, 1962 – On this date, Branch Rickey returned to work for the Cardinals for the second time as Senior Consultant for Player Development. Rickey was required to consult with GM Bing Devine before making deals.
September 29, 1963 – On this date, Stan Musial played his final game for the Cardinals. Musial ended his stellar career with 3,630 hits, 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road.
September 29, 1965 – Pitcher Bob Gibson hit his first career grand slam off Gaylord Perry in an 8-6 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park.
September 30, 1934 – On this date, 1B Ripper Collins hit his 35th home run of the season as a switch hitter, setting a NL record that was not broken until Howard Johnson hit 36 in 1987.
October 1, 1978 – On this date, Padres shortstop Ozzie Smith did his back flip for the first time on Fan Appreciation Day. Smith continued doing the back flip as a Cardinal after joining the club via trade, including every Opening Day.
October 1, 2009 – On this date, Manager Tony La Russa moved into second place behind Connie Mack for most wins as a manager with 4,770.
October 3, 2000 – On this date, rookie starting pitcher Rick Ankiel threw five wild pitches in the third inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series. This began a slide for the young pitcher that ended his pitching career prematurely before he reinvented himself as an outfielder.
October 3, 2007 – On this date, the Cardinals announced that General Manager Walt Jocketty was let go after a period of internal front office turmoil. After a search, he was replaced by his assistant John Mozeliak.
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