Bloom Named Cardinals President; Marmol Retained

Chaim Bloom has been promoted to president of baseball operations to reset the Cardinals after a 78-84 season and a third straight year missing the playoffs, with the goal of returning the club to October baseball. He said the team will stick to a development-first model—doubling down on the draft, player development, international signings and analytics—while remaining open to free-agent moves and prepared to make “hard decisions” this winter. Ownership (Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III) pledged to provide resources but said payroll is unsettled amid record-low attendance and TV-rights uncertainty. Bloom confirmed manager Oli Marmol will return and expects coaching-staff continuity while some personnel matters are still being sorted. The club is exploring short-term veteran options—including swingmen such as Martin Pérez—to protect prospects and possibly flip at the trade deadline, particularly if rotation pieces like Sonny Gray are moved, and is pursuing fan-focused measures such as freezing or lowering some ticket prices, cutting concessions and parking costs, and investing in downtown security to boost attendance.