The media market is not the same as Boston, but the fanbase is also baseball-crazed. Will they let Bloom do his work, or will they grow tired of the long game also? 

If you watch the Boston Red Sox play in the major league playoffs, you'll see Chaim Bloom's imprint all over the roster.

He drafted Connelly Early, who will start Game 3 of the wild card series on Thursday against the New York Yankees. He brought in ace reliever Garrett Whitlock from the Rule 5 draft. He held onto key lineup pieces like Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, not trading them when he could have made an ill-fated move. Though injured, he drafted future franchise cornerstones Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. He also drafted Kristian Campbell, who is set to me a major part of the organization's future and has already signed a pre-arbitration extension.

Masataka Yoshida, who won the Red Sox Game 1 with his two-run single? A Bloom signing. Trevor Story, who hit a massive home run to tie the game in Game 2? Also a Bloom signing. Gold Glove outfielder Wilyer Abreu? Drafted by Bloom as well.

So, if you look, you can see plenty of evidence that Bloom has an eye for talent and he has an eye for the draft. The problem for him in Boston? The team finished last in the division in 2020, 2022 and 2023 and fans grew tired of waiting for prospects to pop and the long game to unfold.

Will St. Louis fans handle things any differently? To be determined.

Cardinals fans want to win, and they aren't used to not being contenders. They really aren't used to seeing three teams from the National League Central make the playoffs, and them not being one of them. There's absolutely pressure to win in the Midwest and Bloom will need to try to thread a difficult needle for a second consecutive stop.

How do you build for the future, while not completely punting on the now? It's a difficult question with a pretty simple answer: He's going to need a little luck.

As someone who covered Bloom in Boston, I can already tell you that he's going to try to shed some of the money on the books. He'll work to trade Nolan Arenado, and he'd probably be just fine if Sonny Gray wanted to waive his no-trade clause. He'll need to hit on the prospect returns in those deals, and then he'll need to go out and sign some veteran guys looking for a second chance, and he'll need them to hit also.

If they do, like when the Red Sox got to the American League Championship Series in 2021, he'll earn some better graces. If they don't, fans will grow more frustrated quickly, like they did in 2022 and 2023. If those guys don't hit, any misses on the trade market will be magnified, and Bloom had some of those as well.

I'm not necessarily here to tell you that Bloom deserves 10 years, or even five, to turn this thing around, I'm just telling you he can, and the Red Sox are proof.

But will he be around long enough this time to see it? That remains the question.

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CARDINALS WELCOME IN BLOOM: Chaim Bloom was officially welcomed in as the team's President of Baseball Operations this week following the conclusion of the 2025 season. CLICK HERE:

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