Red Sox Hire Chaim Bloom As Chief Baseball Officer

nattysez

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Bloom seems perfect to me. Most importantly, he knows how to operate within a tight budget, which is what the Sox have now.
 

jon abbey

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If they do hire Chaim, that seems like a great hire from what I know. I wanted to pat myself on the back for being the first to mention him here after DD was fired, and I was, but when I searched his name, I found this nugget from our resident TB fan from Nov 2014:

Chaim Bloom is the next boy genius Yalie that some big market team will be overpaying 7 years from now. He will start to play a bigger and bigger role under Silverman.
So, looks like two years early, would have been three if the Mets didn't Mets up their choice last winter.
 

jon abbey

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Kinda puts those rumors to bed that the better executives would be hesitant to take the job after how DD was fired
Bloom was ready to take the Mets job last winter if it was offered (he was the runner-up to Brodie), dude wants a high-profile GM job badly.
 

JimD

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Great move if true. It will be good to bring in new blood to the Fenway front office. Have to think that Ferriera stays no matter what; if any of the others can find a better gig elsewhere, more power to them. A certain amount of change is good, especially given the longstanding inability to develop starting pitching.
 

the1andonly3003

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Great move if true. It will be good to bring in new blood to the Fenway front office. Have to think that Ferriera stays no matter what; if any of the others can find a better gig elsewhere, more power to them. A certain amount of change is good, especially given the longstanding inability to develop starting pitching.
would think the others would have offers waiting from AZ, Cubs or Cherington
 

VORP Speed

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If they do hire Chaim, that seems like a great hire from what I know. I wanted to pat myself on the back for being the first to mention him here after DD was fired, and I was, but when I searched his name, I found this nugget from our resident TB fan from Nov 2014:



So, looks like two years early, would have been three if the Mets didn't Mets up their choice last winter.
In case there was any doubt where to turn for all things Rays and Yale....
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Very excited to see its most likely going to be Bloom. Bring as many people from Tampa as possible. They need as many competent people in the front office as possible. I'm a little sad that Raquel Ferriera reportedly didn't want the job. Hopefully she stays in a very integral role with a boost in pay close to Blooms depending on his title. She's definitely getting a promotion.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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I'm Pro-Ferriera but Bloom was my second choice.... and seeing that Ferriera didn't seem to want to be a GM, this is good. Hope it happens soon. Some big decisions coming up soon- need to get someone on that seat and up to speed ASAP
 

Van Everyman

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In case there was any doubt where to turn for all things Rays and Yale....
Unless I’m reading that quote wrong, I’m not getting the sense that @VORP Speed thought much of Chaim – at a minimum it seemed he thought there was some crash and burn potential.

Say what you will about the Sox lack of FO stability since Theo left. But even accounting for Ben’s post-2013 flops, Henry has not whiffed making a GM hire these last 17 years. Tho I do guess there’s a first for everything.
 
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Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Bloom would be an awesome hire and I'm all in on him.

Unless he moves Mookie.
I think hiring a high-profile outsider like Bloom makes a Mookie trade more likely. The need to have someone in charge who can make tough, immediately unpopular moves like that could well be one of the reasons why the Sox would decide against promoting an internal candidate like Ferreira, who has more invested in relationships with the current clubhouse.
 

RedOctober3829

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I think hiring a high-profile outsider like Bloom makes a Mookie trade more likely. The need to have someone in charge who can make tough, immediately unpopular moves like that could well be one of the reasons why the Sox would decide against promoting an internal candidate like Ferreira, who has more invested in relationships with the current clubhouse.
Judging by his track record on major trades involving beloved franchise players, I'd say he's the man for the job. The Chris Archer trade was a HR for Tampa.
 

bankshot1

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It sounds in many regards that Chaim Bloom shares a similiar background to local legend, Theo Epstein. Ivy educated, and tutored and mentored by successful GMs/execs (Luchino and Friedman) and then handed the reins to have senior important roles in baseball ops, (San Diego/Tampa).

If Chaim's the guy, lets hope for the same results, but maybe without the gorilla suit.
 

chawson

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I think hiring a high-profile outsider like Bloom makes a Mookie trade more likely. The need to have someone in charge who can make tough, immediately unpopular moves like that could well be one of the reasons why the Sox would decide against promoting an internal candidate like Ferreira, who has more invested in relationships with the current clubhouse.
That’s interesting and entirely possible, though I see it in reverse. Diffusing the PR hit among an amorphous group of execs would mitigate the damage, I think. I think Bloom’s ability to find value elsewhere could fill the DH void cheaply, allowing the team to keep Mookie. Could be wishful thinking.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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I don't think that a GM is going to want to come in and have his first major move be trading away a beloved player that most fans don't want to see go for any reason.

If that is what he's going to be asked to do, I don't envy him the early days of the job. Plenty of mouth-breathing fans who don't bother to look beyond the headline will want him tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail before he's even finished setting up his office. And every failure thereafter will be laid at his feet, e.g. "If he hadn't traded Mookie, this wouldn't have happened."

He may be the man for the job and cold-blooded enough to do it (and I don't mean that as an insult), but the difference in fanbases between Boston and Tampa is about as big as the difference between Star Wars fans and Farscape fans in terms of how rabid (and, at times, toxic) they can be.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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I don't think that a GM is going to want to come in and have his first major move be trading away a beloved player that most fans don't want to see go for any reason.

If that is what he's going to be asked to do, I don't envy him the early days of the job. Plenty of mouth-breathing fans who don't bother to look beyond the headline will want him tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail before he's even finished setting up his office. And every failure thereafter will be laid at his feet, e.g. "If he hadn't traded Mookie, this wouldn't have happened."

He may be the man for the job and cold-blooded enough to do it (and I don't mean that as an insult), but the difference in fanbases between Boston and Tampa is about as big as the difference between Star Wars fans and Farscape fans in terms of how rabid (and, at times, toxic) they can be.
The best thing that could have happened to the Red Sox was the Nationals making the World series. I think the fact they ended up making it the year after Bryce Harper left will give the brass more confidence in moving on from Mookie. Granted those are players you keep and not deal however it seems as if the organization is content with moving on from him and JD. You could essentially get a few young pieces from say the Mets that could really jump start the Sox if they are looking to still contend.
 

chawson

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The best thing that could have happened to the Red Sox was the Nationals making the World series. I think the fact they ended up making it the year after Bryce Harper left will give the brass more confidence in moving on from Mookie. Granted those are players you keep and not deal however it seems as if the organization is content with moving on from him and JD. You could essentially get a few young pieces from say the Mets that could really jump start the Sox if they are looking to still contend.
Maybe from a PR standpoint, but that’s not exactly how I define the Red Sox. As a team, they are not better off without Mookie, who has been nearly twice as valuable as Bryce Harper the last three years.
 

bankshot1

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I don't think that a GM is going to want to come in and have his first major move be trading away a beloved player that most fans don't want to see go for any reason.

If that is what he's going to be asked to do, I don't envy him the early days of the job. Plenty of mouth-breathing fans who don't bother to look beyond the headline will want him tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail before he's even finished setting up his office. And every failure thereafter will be laid at his feet, e.g. "If he hadn't traded Mookie, this wouldn't have happened."

He may be the man for the job and cold-blooded enough to do it (and I don't mean that as an insult), but the difference in fanbases between Boston and Tampa is about as big as the difference between Star Wars fans and Farscape fans in terms of how rabid (and, at times, toxic) they can be.
This is dead-on.

If he's hired to trade the home-grown smiling face of the franchise and one of the best players in baseball, who is going to have a great career (probably HoF bound) no matter where he plays, its almost a no-win for Bloom.

IMO if he's the guy, he explores other high ticket trade possibilities (JD, Price), or other roster changes, before having to pull the trigger on a Mookie trade.
 

moondog80

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Could be just me, but I feel like the Red Sox are flying under-the-radar moreso now than anytime in recent memory. Trading Mookie won't go unnoticed, but they can weather it, especially if it happens say, the Friday before Patriots/Chiefs.
 

Al Zarilla

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Could be just me, but I feel like the Red Sox are flying under-the-radar moreso now than anytime in recent memory. Trading Mookie won't go unnoticed, but they can weather it, especially if it happens say, the Friday before Patriots/Chiefs.
I don’t know. What’s the Venn Diagram non-overlap of Red Sox fans and Patriots fans. If SOSH and other message boards are any indication, it could be pretty large. I see Red Sox fans calling football “that other sport” and Pats fans still with a pre 2004 attitude about the Sox. Both teams are hugely popular though because so many New Englanders are passionate about at least one of the local sports. Gonna be outrage about Mookie no matter when the “evil deed” might occur.
 

JimBoSox9

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If ownership is having second thoughts about dealing Mookie they can always say the new guy convinced them not to do it.

And we can all toast L'Chaim!
And in reverse, if Bloom trades Mookie inside his first year it'll give him a shorter leash of goodwill with the fans, but by itself the narrative will be that he's executing a ownership mandate and the immediate ire will fall on Henry and Werner.
 

Yelling At Clouds

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The best thing that could have happened to the Red Sox was the Nationals making the World series. I think the fact they ended up making it the year after Bryce Harper left will give the brass more confidence in moving on from Mookie. Granted those are players you keep and not deal however it seems as if the organization is content with moving on from him and JD. You could essentially get a few young pieces from say the Mets that could really jump start the Sox if they are looking to still contend.
The Nationals’ decision - if it was indeed their decision - not to re-sign Harper wasn’t part of some austerity plan to get under a certain dollar amount though; they still handed out a huge deal to Patrick Corbin in the same offseason (and were prepared to sign both). If the Red Sox trade Betts, it’d be because they’re trying to save money.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Maybe from a PR standpoint, but that’s not exactly how I define the Red Sox. As a team, they are not better off without Mookie, who has been nearly twice as valuable as Bryce Harper the last three years.
I mean this is the one organization in baseball that you can look at definitively and say they make moves solely based on PR. So having that reassurance definitely helps a lot.
 

Hank Scorpio

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The Rays have been very successful in a very tough division with very limited resources.

Is it clear on how much of that success belongs to Bloom? What specifically does he get credit for, aside from being there?
 

InsideTheParker

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The Nationals’ decision - if it was indeed their decision - not to re-sign Harper wasn’t part of some austerity plan to get under a certain dollar amount though; they still handed out a huge deal to Patrick Corbin in the same offseason (and were prepared to sign both). If the Red Sox trade Betts, it’d be because they’re trying to save money.
And load up on young pitchers. I would be so sad if they trade Betts, but if it works out in a year or so, I'll be mollified. I do think that somehow unloading Price and JDM would be lots better.
 

Harry Hooper

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Not sure what to make of this "It's not quite done, but everyone expects it." gist in the reporting.
 

Green Monster

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I am curious if they all ready have an indication from JD what his decision is going to be. Perhaps some of the delay was for the reason
Not sure what to make of this "It's not quite done, but everyone expects it." gist in the reporting.
Could a deal be in place but not announced until after the world series.........is there some type of a blackout period? Although, several new managers were just named which would seem contrary to a blackout