Cardinals Hoping to Retain Assistant GM Rob Cerfolio After A's Interview

Rob Cerfolio, who has been thought to be a rising star within the St. Louis Cardinals front office over the past two seasons, appears to be staying with the club after interviewing for the Athletics’ head of baseball operations job.

Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith is a leading candidate for the open position with the Athletics, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Saturday.

Cerfolio, who was President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom’s first hire in October of 2024, has been credited with helping some of the young players in the Cardinals' organization grow rapidly over the past year. Cerfolio, 33, could be in line for a promotion from his current role as assistant general manager of player development and performance. Bloom said during his end-of-the-season media conference that the club could hire a full-time General Manager this winter.

Cerfolio, a former college pitcher at Yale University under former Cardinals’ 1982 World Series champion John Stuper, worked for the Guardians for a decade prior to coming to St. Louis. In Cleveland, Cerfolio was the Guardians’ assistant of player development from 2019-21 and the director of player development from 2022-24.

In St. Louis, Cerfolio has served as something of a bridge between the team’s performance staff and the players. In the past, he helped Gordon Graceffo gain more velocity on his fastball by studying the biomechanical moments on his delivery.

Cerfolio also worked with Minor League players, such as Joshua Baez, whose career took off in 2025 and 2026 after three years of prior struggles in the Minor Leagues. This past season, Baez hit 34 homers at Triple-A Memphis and then set MLB history by homering in his first three big-league at bats at Wrigley Field on Aug. 15.

Cerfolio saw to it that Baez spent time at all three outfield spots in Triple-A to potentially speed up the slugger’s rise to the big leagues. Similarly, Cerfolio said in August that the Cardinals could look to move their top prospect, Rainiel Rodriguez, from catcher and first base to third base to help him reach the big leagues sooner.

“A lot of it comes down to, ‘Are they ready to go and play a different position?’” Cerfolio said. “Whether it’s third base or first base, that requires a different athleticism, mobility and athleticism than catching does. So, there are a lot of things in the offseason (that can be done).

“This is why it takes years to get these guys ready for the opportunity. Having this guy ready from a body composition, athleticism and movement efficiency standpoint so that he can not only stand over at third, but excel at those positions. And then, the next night, be behind the dish and really command the troops on the mound. So, those are all things we’re trying to spend a lot of time thinking through. It’s really more art than it is science. You’re trying to use all the pieces of what they’re doing in games, who they are athletically and what other people have done before that has allowed them to have versatility and stay healthy. Those are all the things we’re trying to think through and balance and just trying to read and react each day.”