John Mozeliak’s looming replacement could quickly fix Cardinals biggest issue

Whenever John Mozeliak is replaced in the St. Louis Cardinals front office, the team’s biggest problem could become ancient history.

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak won’t be in power forever. As the Cardinals currently sit out of the postseason race, it’s clear as day that something has to change with the leadership brass if St. Louis misses the playoffs again in 2024.

Oli Marmol was signed to a contract extension before the season — a move that can be pinned on Mozeliak — so getting rid of the manager only solves part of the problem. St. Louis brought in former Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays executive Chaim Bloom as an advisor to the front office. Much of the consensus around the league is that Bloom will not be in that position for long. Heck, Mozeliak might even welcome a change if he’s allowed to remain with the organization.

Of all of Mozeliak’s faults, the worst of late might be his inability to develop the St. Louis farm system. Yes, Masyn Winn looks good, but there aren’t many other great examples of successful player development. Baseball America ranks the Cardinals as the 21st-ranked farm system in baseball. For a team on the fringe of postseason contention, they are essentially mediocre at every level. That’s not good enough.

As Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants pointed out this week, the hire of Bloom could very well help the Cardinals in that department:

“Bloom is highly regarded for his player development philosophies, but he also has a knack for identifying talent and bringing it into the organization. The Cardinals have done well drafting under Randy Flores’ leadership, but adding Bloom to the mix could help the Cardinals make more targeted risks in their drafting moving forward,” Jacobs wrote.

Building a farm system isn’t as easy as it sounds. The early rounds of the MLB Draft only offer so much talent, and even then poor player development can ruin any organization, regardless of the prospects selected. Bloom has a history of success in this department, however, which should excite St. Louis fans about a prospective front office takeover, even if Mozeliak is still involved to some extent.