Chaim Bloom is making progress on the Red Sox rebuild
The Boston Red Sox significantly changed when they fired Dave Dombrowski and brought on Chaim Bloom. Dombrowski’s tenure saw a title, exorbitant contracts, and a disintegrating farm system. Management considered a reset was the optimum way to go, and Bloom was just the one to shift management philosophy.
Bloom had made his reputation with Tampa Bay Rays, and despite a team with a history of success, there was no brass ring with Bloom. What set Bloom apart was his ability to find baseball nuggets where others saw pyrite, create a viable farm system, and keep payroll among the lowest in baseball.
Bloom’s methodology is starting to show results with Boston. In 2021 the Red Sox almost made it to the World Series, and this season they stayed the course after an April disaster and are now a baseball force to be reckoned with.
The Red Sox have been junk collectors under Bloom. But often, with junk, there is value. What others may view as tarnished, Bloom and his staff find something of value. This is not a throw it against the wall and sees what sticks system, but one of a measured approach. This is similar to what took place in Tampa, especially with pitching.
BSI’s Daniel Fox recently listed his view of Bloom’s best moves. As with any list of this nature, it is subjective but with a strong tinge of objectivity. I would have added on the rehiring of Alex Cora as manager. Bloom has had his failures in Tampa and Boston, but his results have been positive overall. This becomes a baseball, he said, she said, depending on your bias for or against Bloom.
Garrett Richards and Martin Perez may have failed, but that does not mean Michael Wacha and Rich Hill will. No matter what the organization, risk versus reward is not necessarily all reward. Historically for Bloom, the reward has to outdistance failure, and it has in Tampa and now Boston.
The complaint is Boston’s reluctance to spend and spend lavishly on homegrown players or free agents. Is this purely a senior management decision? Or has Bloom instituted a more measured and selective approach? They signed Trevor Story to solve the immediate (second base) and protect the future (shortstop). There was no media/fan-inspired rush to toss red meat to the mob. So far, the results have been positive.
Rob Refsnyder became a local folk hero with his surprise play at 31. Refsnyder mentioned the coaching at Worcester, a topic he has discussed before where the team is constantly teaching even to older and established players. The Bloom method?
The Red Sox farm system has suddenly discovered pitching. Some are the result of signings of the previous administration, but the early contributors are via trade and Rule-5. That is hard evaluation work, starting at the top with the CBO.
Will Boston emulate Tampa? I think not. The fans are far more demanding and certainly more numerous. The cash flow for Boston is among the best in baseball. The media is voracious and appear to be raptors with note pads and microphones. What Bloom will create is an organization similar to the Cardinals.
Clever drafting, top-of-the-line instruction, judicious use of monetary resources, and astute trades. That defines the Cardinals, and I believe that will be Bloom’s target to emulate. This operational shift is not designed to go dollar to dollar with other teams.
Success in Boston is now measured in a World Series flag. Second place or making the playoffs is no longer a point of joy but frustration and anger. Participation trophies are not the Red Sox way this century, nor should they be. How much time will Bloom have? How patient will senior management be?
The trial by fire for Bloom could be in July and August, where moves will be necessary to solidify a team for the playoffs. Will the reliance remain on the farm system, or will a trading plunge occur? No matter what avenue Bloom takes, how the Red Sox’s future transpires will become part of Bloom’s legacy – hopefully, it will be favorable.