Chaim Bloom Might Not Be Cut Out For The Red Sox Job
Every general manager that takes over a new team, I always like to imagine what I would do if I were put in the same shoes. I’ve been a Red Sox fan my whole life. I’ve gotten my heart broken a lot with this franchise. I’ve watched Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, and Hanley Ramirez leave far too soon. Having said that, I try to be reasonable when I can be.
My goal to be a GM is no longer a pipe dream. It’s now VERY realistic. You can’t be too emotional in that type of position. Was I mad the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts? Hell yeah. I sure as hell wouldn’t have done it. I’m on record for saying that. I also get why they did it. I’ve also said Mookie shouldn’t be untouchable throughout this process. The fact of the matter is, Boston didn’t get enough for Betts during the original trade agreement.
As time goes on, the original Mookie agreement is in serious doubt. The Twins have already backed out of the agreement. Now the Red Sox and Dodgers are stuck trying to figure out how to amend the agreement. You know, two executives from Tampa Bay who are stingy and are used to working around the margins. I don’t see how you fix this. The key to the deal was trading Kenta Maeda to the Twins for a top prospect who would then be flipped to Boston. Tell me a solution? Kenta Maeda should have never reeled in that, to begin with.
Forget about the trade for a second. The Red Sox flagged Brusdar Grateral for his medical which is holding up the entire trade. I want to circle back to Chaim Bloom. The man who agreed to the Mookie Betts trade in the first place. This mess only indicates one thing to me. Bloom may not be cut out for the job. His lack of preparation and organizational detail is alarming.
Last week, I was just an overqualified blogger. Now I’m about to be a lot more important. That doesn’t matter. Regardless, I knew that Brusdar Graterol was damaged goods.
Looking back on it, I should have expanded on my thoughts about Graterol. I knew Brusdar was a reliever. The Twins didn’t make it a secret. Brusdar had arm issues and Minnesota planned to use him out of the pen. Everybody who did their homework knew this. It’s why I said, Bloom better know what he’s doing. I wanted Jeter Downs and that would have been non- negotiable for me. Somehow, the guy running the Red Sox didn’t know Graterol was damaged goods.
This is so embarrassing. Listen, on one hand, I’m optimistic that Mookie Betts will be the opening day right fielder for the Sox this year. I love Mookie. I don’t believe in big money contracts but if you’re going to hand one out, Mookie is the guy. He’s as good of a human as he is a baseball player. That’s the kind of guy you invest in. On the other hand, this says a lot about Chaim Bloom.
Pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to Spring Training in 3 days. The Red Sox don’t have a manager and are caught in limbo for a Mookie Betts deal. It’s embarrassing for the franchise. Alex Cora should have never been fired and Mookie Betts shouldn’t have been traded. Very easy solutions.
Again, I’m not the type of person to complain. Chaim hasn’t done much that I agree with, to this point. Signing Martin Perez was probably dumb. That guy stinks. Perez had a 6.22 ERA in 2018 and 5.12 ERA in 2019. He stinks. Bloom gave him $6 million this year. I know why he did it. Perez started throwing a cutter this year and the analytics probably say “if he throws the cutter more and the fastball less, he can be a good pitcher”. I don’t buy it but I get it.
Not once did I complain. Why are we signing Jose Peraza? It’s hard to find players who have a negative wins above replacement. Bloom found a way to sign one. Not once did I complain. Brock Holt makes more sense but whatever. Hey, I never complained about trading Mookie Betts. Not once. Trading away arguably the best player in baseball stings. It’s not fun. I didn’t complain. I understood the reason. Here’s what I can’t understand; organizational dysfunction.
One of two things happened. A: The Red Sox flagged Brusdar Graterol for a medical reason and somehow didn’t do their homework. Almost like they picked a random prospect out of a hat and just accepted it. B: Realized the blowback from fans and realized they needed more for Mookie Betts.
Either way, this speaks volumes about Chaim Bloom. I may have been wrong. Bloom’s lack of preparation and organization is more than alarming. This is flat out embarrassing. That’s something I will complain about. 5 days after the Mookie agreement, somehow there is no agreement. The only reason is because Bloom didn’t do his homework the first time around.
Don’t get me wrong, part of me is happy. Mookie Betts should be roaming right field in Fenway for life. Part of me is mad. How did the Red Sox hire such a fool? This guy was willing to fire Alex Cora before the full evidence was released, hasn’t found a capable replacement since, and made a mess of a Mookie Betts trade that should have never happened in the first place.
I’m just a blogger and a soon to be video guy. I knew Brusdar Graterol was a shaky gamble. How did Bloom not know? Worse yet, How did Bloom agree to trade one of the best players in franchise history for a guy he didn’t do his homework on. This is embarrassing. I don’t have much else to say. Bloom’s lack of preparation and attention to detail is alarming. If you’re a Red Sox fan, I don’t know how you can trust Chaim Bloom to runt the franchise moving forward.
UPDATE:
I take all of this back. This was all part of Bloom’s secret plan. Foil the original trade agreement so the Dodgers had to add Jeter Downs in the trade. I take it back. Sorry for doubting you.
