Jonathan Papelbon slams Chaim Bloom as Red Sox collapse
Jonathan Papelbon slams Chaim Bloom for running the Red Sox like the Rays and not paying Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers
Longtime Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon put himself back in the MLB conversation this week, making the rounds on the interview circuit and slamming everyone from his former teams’ new executives to his old teammates.
Like many, Papelbon is appalled to see the front office once again playing things fast and loose in contract negotiations with homegrown superstars while a shoddy team embarrasses themselves on the diamond. Going on WEEI on Friday morning, the 2007 World Series champion unloaded on his former team’s front office:
"“(The Rays) were the very beginning of you know what, we’ve got to find prospects, we don’t have the money to (sign stars), we’re gonna outsmart the system so to speak, right? Well, I think he’s trying to kind of bring that into Boston and for me, that don’t work, buddy.Look, you’re going up against the Yankees and they’ve got one of the highest payrolls, and you’re going to come into the Red Sox front office and try to finagle your way through all these good deals and find the next prospect? No, that don’t work for me, man.”"
And that was before the Red Sox gave up a franchise-record 28 runs on Friday night in their worst loss in 122 years.
Papelbon also echoed teammate David Ortiz’s refrain that the Sox must come to agreements on new contracts for Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers:
"“If you’ve got a winner and you’ve got a winner on the field, and more importantly to me, if you’ve got a winner in the clubhouse, that’s even tenfold better. Those are the guys that get everybody else ready, the Tom Bradys, the David Ortiz’, the Jason Variteks. If they lead and you don’t follow, you’re not going to be in that clubhouse very long, buddy.”"
Bogaerts has two World Series rings before turning 30, Devers has one before turning 26. The former is considered a magnificent leader in the clubhouse, the would-be captain, though he’s too modest to ever officially wear the ‘C’ on his jersey. The latter is one of the game’s best hitters, and he’s only getting started.
In fairness to Bloom, he didn’t bring himself to Boston. Red Sox ownership brought him here to run their team like the Rays: cheap, moderately successful, perennial also-rans with a stocked farm system. Being mad at Bloom instead of the men who employ him would be like if you were mad at the passenger reading the directions instead of the driver who ignores those directions and takes whichever roads he wants.
With regards to Bogaerts and Devers, lowballing franchise stars is a recurring problem that long predates Bloom’s arrival. Ben Cherington was at the helm when they pulled this stunt with Jon Lester. Dave Dombrowski offered Mookie Betts pennies after the 2018 World Series; Bloom only completed that alley-oop, and at the behest of none other than Fenway Sports Group. The common denominator is the ownership, not the executive. They even courted Billy Beane two decades ago, attempting to turn the Red Sox into the Oakland A’s, the Rays of the west coast.
Red Sox Nation has every right to be furious; they’ve watched this circus for years. Yes, the Sox have more championships with this ownership group than any other team since the new millennium began. Those four trophies don’t excuse the way the Sox have handled the stars who made those championships happen; they used to lowball David Ortiz, for heaven’s sakes. If Bogaerts and/or Devers is next, fans may very well riot on Jersey Street.
But be mad at the deserving parties. Bloom is the puppet, not the master.
