While the baseball world awaits the conclusion of the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals have been working on staff changes throughout the organization.
In addition to expanding their professional scouting department by hiring a director to oversee player acquisition, multiple team sources tell The Athletic that president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom will add an international scouting director to serve under assistant general manager Moisés Rodríguez. Additional support roles for both positions are expected to be filled later in the offseason.
The Cardinals will also continue to add to their player development staff. The club is looking to hire a director of hitting to oversee the offense from an organization-wide approach, similar to Matt Pierpont’s role as director of pitching.
St. Louis is expected to retain its major-league coaching staff under manager Oli Marmol, though two coaches have been reassigned to new roles. Assistant pitching coach Dean Kiekhefer and game-planning coach Packy Elkins will no longer be a part of the uniformed coaching staff, but will remain in the organization in strategist roles. The Cardinals will hire a new assistant pitching coach and assistant hitting coach, though assistant coaches Julio Rangel (pitching/bullpen) and Brandon Allen (hitting) will retain their positions.
Bench coach Daniel Descalso, hitting coach Brant Brown, pitching coach Dusty Blake, first-base coach Stubby Clapp, third-base coach Ron “Pop” Warner and assistant coach Jon Jay will also return to the organization, as will bullpen coaches Jamie Pogue and Kleininger Teran. It is not believed that longtime catcher Yadier Molina — who lobbied earlier this month for MLB coaching jobs — will be on the staff next year, but the Cardinals remain open to finding a role for Molina within the organization.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and guest coach Yadier Molina look on from the dugout before a game against the Chicago CubsJeff Curry / Imagn Images
The Cardinals will also seek a new head athletic trainer, with former head trainer Adam Olsen reassigned to a front-office position. Olsen will continue to serve as director of medical training, but his new role will involve overseeing the training staff from an organization-wide approach, rather than in the major-league dugout.
The influx of new positions, along with most of the front office and coaching staff staying on board, backs up Bloom’s promises from his first public comments as president of baseball operations. In his introductory press conference at the end of September, Bloom pledged his focus would be on adding staff, not subtracting.
“I have a lot of respect for the people who have been here,” Bloom said that day. “Still working through things, but I would like, hope and expect that our senior folks will all go forward with us. I do anticipate that we will have some additions to the front-office group, when and in what roles, I’m not ready to say that yet.”
Last winter, the Cardinals overhauled and modernized their player development department. This winter, the focus will be on improving both professional scouting and international scouting. Unlike the player development overhaul, however, the Cardinals do not believe major modernization is needed. Instead, the aim for these departments will be to add resources and support, both through new positions and additional funding.
The changes will not impact assistant general manager and director of scouting Randy Flores’ role in the front office, and Rodriguez will continue to oversee the international scouting department. There will be more structure under pro scouting, and the Cardinals are close to finalizing the head of the department. The hire is believed to be external. All seven of St. Louis’ pro scouts will return to the organization under one-year deals. While many major-league teams are choosing to cut their pro scouting departments and rely more on models and programming, Bloom said he believes in a process that includes both.
“I don’t see it as either/or. I don’t think it can be,” Bloom said last month. “It would be dangerous for us to make the assumption that seasoned evaluators can’t help us. I do think smart organizations are finding different and better ways for those evaluators to help out than what they might have done five, 10, 15 years ago. And actually, I think if we don’t do that, we’re going to get beat by someone who does.”
At the end of the season, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. stated he would provide Bloom the resources needed to build a better team. While the organization still has plenty to configure regarding next year’s payroll and needs to finalize its television rights deal for 2026, the added positions suggest ownership making good on its word. The Cardinals would like to continue bolstering their player development system, and Bloom will also look to hire a general manager, though that might not take place this offseason.
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