Cardinals' bold front office changes mean the time is now for the Cubs to strike

A word rarely, if ever, uttered in the halls of Busch Stadium is on the minds of everyone in the St. Louis Cardinals organization today: rebuild. OK, they might not be calling it a rebuild, but that's exactly what's on the docket for the club as they prepare to transition the front office from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom following the 2025 season.

Mozeliak is the National League's longest-tenured front office head, calling shots in St. Louis since 2008. Only once - in 2023 - has one of his teams posted a losing record. During his tenure, the Cardinals won one World Series, two NL pennants and six division titles. Lately, though, it's clear this franchise isn't what it once was.

“We’re excited about the future and committed to seeing this multi-year plan through as we enter a period of significant organizational change," Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt said at a press conference on Monday. “We believe this approach will give us the best chance of ensuring a smooth transition.”

The team expects to cut big-league payroll, re-directing resources toward player development, an area the Cardinals once dominated but have fallen off in of late. High-dollar contracts are likely to be shopped, with the team's most prominent players potentially going on the block as Mozeliak and Bloom look to shed dollars.

The club is expected to part ways with Paul Goldschmidt, who will head into free agency for the first time in his career and shedding his salary, alone, will go a long way toward helping the Cardinals accomplish this goal of cutting payroll. But there are larger implications at hand for teams like the Cubs, who face a critical offseason of their own this winter.

Cubs need to strike now to get back to the top of the NL Central

With rumors of Jed Hoyer's job being on the line next year, there's immense pressure facing the Chicago front office. Knowing St. Louis is taking a step back in coming years, it opens a door for the Cubs to put their best foot forward and take the fight to the Brewers, who have taken the reins in the NL Central of late.

The division, as a whole - outside of Milwaukee - is in a state of uncertainty right now. The Reds are looking for a new manager after falling short of expectations in 2024, the Pirates faded badly down the stretch and, now, the Cardinals are re-setting for the long haul. There's an opportunity for Hoyer and the Cubs to go out and win the offseason, knowing it could very well be a two-horse race next year between themselves and the Brewers.

The time is now because once this Bloom-led rebuilding effort has revitalized the Cardinals' homegrown talent pipeline, the road to the top of the division will be more challenging. We all remember the days when St. Louis seemed to promote a no-name prospect year after year, only to have them establish themselves as a legitimate big-leaguer. If those days are on the horizon once again, the Cubs would be well-served to put their best foot forward now and re-take their place atop the Central.