Cards’ eyes on young core, areas to grow after promising ’26

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is entering his second offseason as the head executive for a St. Louis club that finished 77-85 in 2026. Bloom spoke to the media during the General Managers Meetings at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday to recount the 2026 season and look ahead. Just as with every other team and its baseball executives, there’s a bit more urgency than usual at this time of the year, with the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on Dec. 1, meaning there will likely be more free-agent and trade activity during this month than most years. What to expect at GM Meetings this week in Vegas Bloom, however, is seemingly more concerned with the overall picture for the Cardinals and trying to address areas across the entire organization. “Certainly for us, we’re working on our staff. We're working to talk to agents about their players and free agency,” Bloom said. “We're working to talk to other teams. So there's really three fronts we're operating on.” Asked by reporters if there was any urgency about fixing the roster and coaching staff before Dec. 1, Bloom didn’t necessarily seem rushed by the upcoming deadline. “A lot of these things are just things that you want to be out in front of as much as you can,” Bloom said. “So at least for us, it hasn't really changed much.” Bloom’s Cardinals showed a lot of promise in his first full season at the helm, given that the club traded major players from the previous rosters last offseason, including Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. The breakouts from JJ Wetherholt , who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2026, and Jordan Walker and the continued development from the likes of Alec Burleson , Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy have only added optimism for 2027 and beyond. Now comes the task of supplementing a roster that flirted with an NL Wild Card spot, whether via free agency and trades or a rapidly improving farm system . “I think we need to do a lot more things that are consistent with what we started doing last year to keep going, to keep integrating other players, keep pushing to get the most out of things, keep looking to acquire more pieces for the core and then to put the right pieces around,” Bloom said. That next wave of young Cardinals talent could take on an even more pronounced role in 2027. Beyond the aforementioned players, youngsters like Joshua Báez and Leo Bernal , who already showed promise in the Majors, while top prospects Rainiel Rodriguez (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Cardinals prospect) and Liam Doyle ( No. 2 prospect) figure to be impact talents soon. “There's a couple different angles that we can look at. One is making sure -- whether they’re players that have already debuted with us or players that hopefully that debut is in the relatively near future -- making sure we have lanes for them,” Bloom said. “We don't want to hand them anything, but we want to make sure we have lanes for them to break in, and if they have broken in, to be able to thrive.” That other lane is looking via free agency and trade to supplement this growing list of young Cardinals that could form the next great St. Louis team. “There's also looking outside the organization from a trade standpoint as to whether there are players who might be able to join that core for the long haul, whether in a front-and-center role or a supporting role,” Bloom said. “That's really important, too. That we don't stop looking for those players to be a part of this as we build.” This figures to be a big offseason for the Cardinals to find their way back in the NL Central picture. With the Brewers winning their first World Series in 2026 and the Cubs making the playoffs yet again, St. Louis still has its work cut out in the coming weeks, months and years. Get the latest from the Cardinals Have the latest news, ticket information, and more from the Cardinals and MLB delivered right to your inbox. Sign up