Red Sox: Frustrations continue to mount toward Chaim Bloom and FSG

Red Sox Nation is unhappy with Chaim Bloom and FSG

Here we are, the ceremonial midway point of the season, we made it. And as some Red Sox stars prepare for the Midsummer Classic the rest of the team is in shambles. Whether it’s due to injury, poor performance, or simply inactivity from the front office, Boston is in serious trouble. Many of the issues were right in front of their eyes before the season began and once again not much was done to address them, now it may be too late.

Let me be clear, I’m a Chaim Bloom guy, but it’s getting really difficult to defend his actions, or lack thereof, this season. We have massive deficiencies in the outfield, at first base, and in the pitching staff, but instead of getting free agents to plug those holes, or even making trades using our newly minted Top-10 farm system, Bloom bargain shopped and patched together a mish-mash of a roster.

Yeah, these guys were good enough to make it to the ALCS in 2021, but they also ran out of gas two games from the Fall Classic and those issues were ignored. As I mentioned before there is a laundry list of problems with this team right now but it feels like there are some more glaring than others.

Nobody could’ve predicted that the entire starting rotation would get hurt in a four-week span, and if you could, you’d be a rich man. Nobody could’ve predicted that Chris Sale would get hit and break his pinky in his second start of the season. I can’t hold that against Bloom, but what I can hold against him is not doing anything when these injuries started to pile up.

The second that both Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock were put on the IL, I would’ve started making phone calls. I may not have always been a fan of his tactics, but when Dave Dombrowski needs something he goes and gets it. That’s why we have J.D. Martinez and Sale. It’s why we had Craig Kimbrel closing out games every single night.

Chaim has yet to have that killer GM instinct of going on the offensive when his team needs it. Now, some of his moves have been phenomenal and he deserves his flowers for those, but others, man there have been some stinkers. The list of guys he signed for what equates to a hot dog and a handshake is a mile long, and most have failed. He needs to be aggressive, realize that the team is only two games back in the Wild Card race, and go get the pieces to push them across the finish line.

Also, Chaim, you don’t have to wait until the actual Trade Deadline to make moves, you can do them well before that date shows up on the calendar. There are plenty of teams that are nowhere close to contending that have players we could use right about now and instead of headhunting for them, we sat by and ran our Triple-A rotation against some of the league’s best teams and got our heads kicked in. Awesome.

I believe that Bloom has a vision for this team and one that could lead to the success we’ve seen with his former club over the last few seasons. But he also needs to realize that he isn’t in St. Petersburg anymore and he has a much bigger bank account to play with. Now, that doesn’t mean signing players to awful contracts a la Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval and don’t worry those two will be brought back up later.

To me, one of the most egregious things the Red Sox did this past winter was letting Kyle Schwarber walk away. A guy who was loved by his teammates, the fanbase, and even a city several miles away. And I know some of you out there are going to cry and preach about the defense. Oh my, the defense, how could I ignore it? Last I checked, Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero aren’t Gold Glove contenders.

At least Schwarber is a hitting machine and has the versatility to play around. I’ll gladly take his offense and lack of defense over two players that offer neither. The Phillies knew he was going to be a hot commodity, especially after what he did with the Red Sox in 2021, and they overpaid. The thing is, they should’ve never had the opportunity.

Chaim needs to be a buyer at the Deadline if he wants to install any sort of confidence in this roster and Red Sox Nation. If he decides to start selling off pieces instead of investing in this team he may as well walk away. A lot of this fanbase has already soured on him and giving in when the fight is nowhere near over will simply solidify the lack of confidence. But that’s enough venom for Bloom now it’s time to turn my attention to Fenway Sports Group.

FSG has seen incredible successes since taking over the Red Sox in 2002 but they’re easily one of the most hated ownership groups in all of sports. They’re out of touch, unrelatable, unlikable, and simply care more about their wallets than the success of their team. Oddly enough, they have no problem spending on their other endeavors but when it comes to the Red Sox, it’s always like pulling teeth.

We’ve seen it time and time again with John Henry, Tom Werner, and the gang. Don’t reward the organizational foundation, piss off the fans, then splurge on some random player to try and make it up to us. Again, see Hanley and Pablo. Neither should’ve been given the amount of money they received based on their previous performances and yet here came the Red Sox with the Brinks truck.

Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester, David Ortiz, Mookie Betts, and now it seems that Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers may be added to the list. Bogey has made it clear over the years that he wants to retire playing at Fenway Park and yet we have seen zero urgency from FSG to make that happen. Dombrowski was able to ink him to a very team-friendly deal but that wasn’t going to happen a second time around. Xander’s contemporaries all received massive raises and he’s better than many of them, he’s earned it.

Again, the stat nerds will scream about the defensive numbers and the decline in power but that’s just one chapter in the story. This team goes where Xander goes. He’s the captain of this squad, the leader, the loudest voice in the locker room. He has more than earned a quality contract and if the Red Sox aren’t willing to cut the check, I guarantee another team out there will. You don’t think the Yankees would love to poach him and add his bat to that lineup?

But beyond Bogaerts is Devers. The man is only 25 years old and is one of the most dangerous hitters in all of baseball. The list of hitters who can mimic what he can do is incredibly small. Jared Carrabis made a point on the most recent episode of “The Jared Carrabit Podcast,” and it’s hard to deny the sentiment, if you’re not willing to pay Rafael Devers then who the hell are you going to pay?

A generational talent in the batter’s box and a guy who has stamped his place in the record books isn’t worth the money that other teams will pay players lesser than him? It feels like we’re at a boiling point when it comes to the fans and Red Sox ownership. It doesn’t matter how many rings or divisional titles or big signings they make, if they continue to spit in the face of the players that carry this team on a nightly basis they will leave. Why invest in a team that won’t invest in itself?

I wasn’t this angry a few weeks ago when things were cookin’ for the Sox and with good reason. We were humming along and locking in our place in the standings. But then the train went off the tracks and nobody thought to react to get it back on course. Now we’re out of contention and it doesn’t feel like we’re going to see any sort of action from Bloom or FSG to secure the future of this club. Boston has a lot of free agents coming due this winter and it sure feels like there isn’t a plan to cement the identity of this squad.