We all know that John Mozeliak is stepping down at the end of the 2025 season. That can’t come soon enough. I think we as Cardinals fans would all agree on that. Yesterday’s reception during the Opening Day ceremonies was all the proof that was needed.

But recently, I read something on MLB.com from John Denton. He said that if the Cardinals are in contention at the trade deadline, they likely won’t trade Erick Fedde and Ryan Helsley.

I’ve been adamant that this would be a mistake, even if the Cardinals are in contention. And while Helsley looked great yesterday against the Twins, 2025 represents the Cardinals last chance to restock the farm with a Helsley trade.

With Opening Day only recently behind us, I think it’s fair for people to say it’s too early to think about the trade deadline. But if you’re like me, you’re always thinking about what the Cardinals can do.

Unfortunately, it will still be Mozeliak making the key decisions. But Chaim Bloom needs to have some input here.

Now, we don’t know for sure what Bloom is thinking. Maybe he and Mozeliak are on the same page. But while Bloom is not in charge yet, Mozeliak should be consulting with him at the trade deadline.

After all, Bloom needs a clean slate, and I’ve said before that while I want the Cardinals to contend, they should plan on being sellers at the trade deadline. Not capitalizing on the value of some of their veteran pitchers would be a mistake.

My hope is that Bloom is thinking the same thing, and that he wants to restock the farm system so that he can have a clean slate in 2026.

While Mozeliak is still running the show, Bloom should have the final say here. It’s going to be his team next year, and my hope and guess is that he’ll want to start fresh. We know he’s big into building a strong farm system and improving player development. That is what he’s doing this year, and he needs to have all the tools in place so that he can get straight to work after 2025.

While yesterday’s Opening Day win was encouraging, I think we can preemptively rule out the Cardinals having the best record in baseball at any point this year. So, if they are over .500 at the trade deadline, I would like to see them take the Orioles approach from 2022.

At this point, Mozeliak needs to swallow his pride and accept that he needs to help Bloom have everything he needs to succeed as the next president of baseball operations. One of those things is a strong farm system, and while improving player development will help, this will also include adding some much-needed top prospects to the mix to brighten the future.

We’ve heard Mozeliak talk about not wanting to sacrifice the future in the past. Each time he’s said that he hasn’t done anything to strengthen the future, so now is the time for him to actually prioritize the future. The way to do this is to let Bloom’s thought process influence his deadline decisions.

It’s going to be Bloom’s team next year, and while Mo is still in charge, Bloom should have the final say.