The Boston Red Sox announced this morning that they had fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom after another disappointing season.
The #RedSox today announced that they have parted ways with Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom.
Read Full Statement: https://t.co/XerFsxavgA
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 14, 2023
Time For A Change
Since Bloom was hired after the 2019 season, Boston has made the playoffs just once in four seasons. In 2021, they reached the American League Championship Series, losing to the Houston Astros in six games. Despite his efforts, Bloom needed help to put together a sustainably winning team. His tenure is marked by underwhelming free agent and trade acquisitions. However, his most distinctive move was his first; less than four months after he took over, he traded 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. While it’s been reported that the deal was mandated by ownership for payroll purposes, Bloom has received the brunt of the criticism for the crooked sale. In addition to the Betts trade, Bloom failed to recoup any value for star shortstop Xander Bogaerts before he hit free agency last offseason.
The Future In Boston
With Bloom fired the Red Sox will take a hard look at the future of their organization. Bloom was hired, in part, to build a robust farm system. However, MLB.com’s midseason rankings place the Red Sox at 16th in the league, primarily due to a lack of pitching talent. The Red Sox are looking to avoid their third last-place finish since Bloom took over. Entering Thursday’s doubleheader with the New York Yankees, the two historic rivals were tied for last place in the American League East. The last time the two finished that low together was 1966. Boston faces a 7.5-game deficit in the wild card race with 17 games remaining.
In the same statement announcing Bloom’s firing, the Red Sox announced that general manager Brian O’Halloran has been offered a new senior leadership position in baseball operations. The search for a new baseball operations leader is set to begin immediately. As it stands, Boston will need to be much more competitive, given their standing as a premier franchise. They hope that, with Bloom fired, the organization can take a step forward. Issues in the starting rotation have continued for the past two years. Offensively, the team has been average (103 WRC+). Whoever is hired will be their job to rebuild a proud organization to keep pace in a tough division.
Main Photo Credits: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
