Chaim Bloom doesn’t have the best of reputations among Boston Red Sox fans. The former “Boy Wonder” of the Tampa Bay Rays landed with Boston several years ago only for the team to slowly get dismantled.
Mookie Betts was traded. Xander Bogaerts left in free agency. The situation in Boston looked dire. The Rafael Devers contract extension definitely helped ease some anxiety. Another big help has been the way these four Red Sox free agent signings have gone thus far in 2023.
It’s early but the way these four have played are helping to alter the narrative around Bloom’s tenure in Boston.
1) Red Sox free agent signing of Masataka Yoshida has been spectacular
Masakata Yoshida didn’t come to Major League Baseball with the same fanfare as Shohei Ohtani. Who cares about the paparazzi anyway?
Yoshida was one of the biggest additions the Red Sox made this offseason. A regular in left field and at the DH spot for the Red Sox this season, he has been an incredible addition to this lineup.
Through his first 31 big league games, Yoshida is slashing .298/.377/.496 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI. He’s second on the team in homers and runs batted in with only Rafael Devers more productive in those departments. His presence, however, has made it much tougher to work through the Red Sox lineup. The added threat of having to face Yoshida makes them a far more dangerous ball club than they’d be otherwise.
It’s no secret that offense has powered the Red Sox the most this season. On their way back toward relevancy after a mostly forgettable 2022 campaign, the free agent signing of Yoshida is keeping the Red Sox competitive.