Red Sox: Chaim Bloom continues to miss out on big talent acquisitions

Red Sox CBO Chaim Bloom is getting left in the dust by other teams

We’re two months into the offseason and the Red Sox have been incredibly quiet. With how this year has played out I don’t think any of us had expected them to storm the free agency gates and sign the entire crop, but something has to give at this point. Chaim Bloom was brought in to fix the mess left by Dave Dombrowski both in the financial realm and in the developmental department, while also building a contender.

Up to this point, he’s gotten the bank account balanced and back in the good graces of the CBT. Bloom has also done a hell of a job adding prospects to the Minor League system in return for veteran players and trade bait. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done much in the way of building a contender beyond a piece here and there. In fact, for the second winter in a row, we’re seeing other teams getting better while Boston merely stays stagnant.

The common story that has hit the newswire almost daily this offseason has been how the Red Sox were final contenders to sign a player just to be out-done at the last moment. Hell, just in the last 24-48 hours we’ve seen multiple players that Boston had been in hot pursuit of sign elsewhere. Even in the case of the Rays trading Blake Snell to San Diego last night, where were the Sox? Bloom couldn’t put together a package that his former club would accept for Snell? Hard to believe.

I’m not sure if it’s the lack of a killer instinct from Bloom or he’s just playing it overly cautious with FSG’s money, but something needs to change and fast. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Red Sox needed to be patient and smart with their spending this winter. Splashing big cash for flashy names and players wasn’t going to fix the issues that plague this team, but my opinion is beginning to change.

Granted, the biggest name free agents are still on the board, but with how sheepishly Chaim has gone about this offseason, it won’t matter, another team will scoop them up. It’s only a matter of time before George Springer, Trevor Bauer, Michael Brantley, and the rest of the current crop are signed to other clubs while Boston is searching the bottom of the dumpster for scraps. Bloom needs to change his mindset and show that he’s not going to sit idly by as the market sets itself and he walks away without anything.

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The ownership group has made it clear that this team will be a contender in 2021 and if not then they’ll at least put up a fight, and they’re willing to spend in order to do so. So why haven’t the Red Sox spent? As I said above, I think it’d be in poor judgment to reset the luxury tax just to get back in financial trouble, but some spending is a necessity. During his tenure in Boston, Chaim has done a mixed job of signing players for the cheap and getting, or in the case of the pitching staff, not getting solid results.

Buying with a bargain shopper mindset isn’t a bad plan and it’s one of the reasons why the Red Sox brought him into the fold, but he needs to stray from his usual gameplan. Spend some cash, bring in top talent, and get this team back out of the basement. Bloom doesn’t need to be a clone of Dealin’ Dave and give out bloated deals that sink the team but he can make smart business offers that benefit both the player and organization.

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Chaim Bloom is a hell of an executive and has a great eye for talent, but he’s getting smoked by other front offices left and right this winter. Eventually, he’s going to have to jump into the deep end instead of just dipping his toe in to see how the water feels. Being considered a finalist for a player doesn’t mean a damn thing when they wind up signing elsewhere. Get the pen out, sit down at the table, and get something figured out. If he can’t, then we’re going to be in for another long miserable season of Red Sox baseball.

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