Boston Red Sox: Chaim Bloom’s inexperience is showing through
By Ryan Whitley
To paraphrase Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz- Chaim, we’re not in Tampa Bay anymore. But how long is it going to take Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom to realize it?
Coming off of his truly disastrous trade deadline, and with the Red Sox now closer to fourth place in the division than first, it’s time to ask some questions about Bloom. Chiefly, does he understand that there’s a difference between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays? Judging by everything he’s done since he came to town, the answer is a resounding and disturbing no.
Chaim Bloom seems like a fish out of water with Boston Red Sox
From the very start of Bloom’s tenure in Boston, it’s clear that he is still operating with a small market mindset. From trading Mookie Betts to only making additions to the margins of the roster in free agency to the awful 2021 trade deadline, everything just screams that Bloom still thinks he’s in Tampa. That’s a huge problem.
A team like the Red Sox, in a market like Boston, with one of the richest ownership groups in the league, does not have to operate like a small market team. He’s pinching pennies on a team worth more than $3 billion. There’s really no excuse for it, and someone needs to tell him.
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Yes, baseball is a business. We all know that. But to look at the team with the third best record in all of baseball at the trade deadline and say it’s more important to stay under the Competitive Balance Threshold than add meaningful pieces and chase a title is completely indefensible.
It would be one thing if the small moves that Bloom made were actually panning out and helping the team. Nope. While Austin Davis has been okay, Kyle Schwarber is still on the shelf and Hansel Robles has continued his terrible season.
Meanwhile, Anthony Rizzo, who Bloom should have gone out and acquired long before the deadline, looked like Babe Ruth for his first week in New York and has lifted the New York Yankees back into the playoff hunt.
Surely, going into the tax to provide an instant fix for Boston’s season-long black hole at first base would have been a worthy investment.
Bloom’s lack of moves a slap in the face for Boston Red Sox fans
Coming into the year, nobody expected anything from this Boston Red Sox team, which is why their extraordinary first half was so enjoyable. For the front office to decide that they should avoid paying a few million dollars in tax – spare change to John Henry and Fenway Sports Group – instead of bulking up the roster is insulting. Not only to the fans, but to the players as well, and that’s the worst part.
Imagine being Alex Verdugo, wearing your heart on your sleeve every night to live up to the expectations put upon you for being the centerpiece of a deal for a top five player in the league. How would you feel if your GM told you that your team wasn’t worth paying money to add to?
I’m not saying that Bloom should have paid out the nose to acquire someone like Max Scherzer or Jose Berrios. Even in a big market, he had to be smart. But having the resources that were at his disposal should have given him the opportunity to be aggressive. Instead, he pathetically stood pat.
The bottom line is this: Chaim Bloom needs to start running the Boston Red Sox like a big market team that has money to spend, or he’ll be gone before too much longer. Winning 85 games a year in Tampa Bay is enough to have job security for life. That won’t fly here.
Boston is not a town that accepts mediocrity, and that’s what sticking to the CBT accomplishes. To win, you need to spend money, and Bloom seems unwilling to really do that so far. There’s a time and a place to stay below the threshold to reset the tax penalties. An overachieving team with the pennant up for grabs is decidedly not that time.
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Now, there’s certainly still time for Bloom to learn how to operate in a big market. He’s only in year two. Many rookie GM’s have growing pains, but not many have to go through those pains in Boston.
But if the Red Sox season continues to circle the drain as it has been recently, Bloom’s inexperience will be at fault, and he’ll have nobody to blame but himself. If he doesn’t figure it out soon, his days in Boston may very well be limited.