Almost four months after the Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom, he's found a new home in the National League.
The St. Louis Cardinals have hired Bloom in an "advisory role," per Katie Woo of The Athletic. The Redbirds, per Woo, have been linked to Bloom as early as the beginning of the offseason.
The Cardinals later announced in a statement that Bloom will be an Advisor to the President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak, who referred to Bloom as a "fresh set of eyes" as St. Louis looks outside of its organization to improve its team. The Cardinals CBO also called Bloom "well respected" in the statement on his hiring.
St. Louis Cardinals hire former Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom to advisory role
The Cardinals finished in last place in the National League Central in 2023 with a 71-91 record, marking the first time in over two decades that St. Louis lost over 90 games in a season. They finished at the top of their division in 2022 with almost the same team and have since lost two of the most iconic Redbirds of all time in Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina ... but St, Louis' struggles are attributed elsewhere.
We have named Chaim Bloom as an Advisor to the President of Baseball Operations.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 8, 2024
Bloom most recently served as Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox from 2019 through 2023.#STLCards pic.twitter.com/ykBdcFpge7
The Cards jumped to the front of the free agency line this offseason, signing Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and Sonny Gray to improve their horrible starting rotation, but have done almost nothing of note since. St. Louis is objectively desperate to get back into contention in a weak NL Central after three straight eliminations in the Wild Card round and one of their worst finishes in modern franchise history.
As for Bloom (and to touch upon how he fits into their picture, he spent four seasons with the Red Sox, serving as the organization's Chief Baseball Officer from October 2019 to September 2023. Boston only made the playoffs once during his tenure, but the one postseason run was a significant one — the Sox lost to the Astros in the ALCS in 2021.
Most of Bloom's career success came with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he served as Senior Vice President and in other roles across 15 years with the club. Bloom became known as an official who could do a lot for a team with a small amount of money, a reputation that did not follow him to Boston.
Bloom's experience in the front office is diverse. In Tampa Bay, he held responsibility for "player development, scouting, contract negotiations, salary arbitration and strategic planning," per St. Louis' press release. Hiring Bloom as an advisor makes sense for the Redbirds, as his wide breadth of experience could help the struggling club diagnose its issues in multiple areas.
The same can't be said for his time in Boston, but perhaps a deemphasized role can help him get back on track after a bad experience with an ownership group that gave him few resources.