Chaim Bloom in as DD replacement

[Red Foreman]

Sox have signed Ray's exec Chaim Bloom to be the axe man. Supposedly a great hire.

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm.amp.html?%24deeplink_path=article%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm&%24fallback_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsyndication.bleacherreport.com%2Famp%2F2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm.amp.html&_branch_match_id=684608118270545906

Edited October 25, 2019 by Red Foreman
Spelling

[Kimmi]

Sox have signed Ray's exec Chaim Bloom to be the axe man. Supposedly a great hire.

 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm.amp.html?%24deeplink_path=article%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm&%24fallback_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsyndication.bleacherreport.com%2Famp%2F2859744-report-chaim-bloom-finalizes-contract-to-replace-dave-dombrowski-as-red-sox-gm.amp.html&_branch_match_id=684608118270545906

 

From what I've read, I think it's going to be a great hire.

 

I have the exact opposite feeling of what I had when Dombrowski was hired.

[moonslav59]

I think it's going to turn out well with this guy.

 

I'm hopeful he can build the farm up quickly, cut some salary and then fins some bargains on the market.

[oldtimer]

Certainly glad the important GM position has been filled and by a reportedly smart hire. I am also happy the hire was made from outside the existing organization as I believe we need an independent thijnker during this difficult period of meeting salary goals while rebuilding the farm. Good luck as this will not be an easy task.

[moonslav59]

Certainly glad the important GM position has been filled and by a reportedly smart hire. I am also happy the hire was made from outside the existing organization as I believe we need an independent thijnker during this difficult period of meeting salary goals while rebuilding the farm. Good luck as this will not be an easy task.

 

No, it won't be easy, but in theory, if this guy could help build the Rays to respectability with 1/3 the budget, it may not take long for us to get back to the top.

 

I admit, I know very little about this guy, so maybe my rosy glasses are doing the talking.

 

I'm more optimistic , now than a few days ago and much more so than before we let DD go.

[Nick]

No, it won't be easy, but in theory, if this guy could help build the Rays to respectability with 1/3 the budget, it may not take long for us to get back to the top.

 

I admit, I know very little about this guy, so maybe my rosy glasses are doing the talking.

 

I'm more optimistic , now than a few days ago and much more so than before we let DD go.

 

first question out of his mouth...why are we paying this guy $10M to play CF? done.

 

second question out of his mouth...we're going to pay this guy $30M and he's bolting at the end of the year? done

 

third question out of his mouth...you're worried he may opt out? Hell throw in another couple of million for him to opt out. done

 

It's clearer from 30,000 ft looking down. He'll get our payroll down to $100M in no time.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Nick

[jacksonianmarch]

He's not going to get the sox below $100 mil, let's be honest. But he is the kind of hire that flies with the Epstein's and the Cherington's of the world. He comes from a system that emphasizes scouting and home grown talent. He is going to make re-energizing the sox farm priority #1. The other thing you guys may enjoy is that TB was built on trades. Everyone thinks they're this home grown great story, but they really aren't. They're a home grown team that gets dealt off for cheap talent that fits better. Look at their roster

 

Nick Anderson-acquired for Rays draftee Ryne Stanek

Diego Castillo- IFA signing

Yonny Chirinos- IFA signing

Oliver Drake- traded for cash considerations

Tyler Glasnow- acquired in the Chris Archer deal

Brendan McKay- drafted by TB

Charlie Morton- signed as a FA for $30 mil

Emilio Pagan- acquired in a 3 way deal that sent Profar to the A's

Colin Poche- acquired as a PTBNL in the Steven Souza deal

Chaz Roe- acquired for cash considerations from ATL

Blake Snell- 2nd rounder

Ryan Yarbrough- acquired from SEA in the Drew Smyly deal

Travis D'Arnaud- acquired from LA for cash considerations

Mike Zunino- acquired from SEA in the Mallex Smith deal

Willy Adames- acquired from Detroit in the David Price trade

Ji-Man Choi- acquired from MIL for Brad Miller

Yandy Diaz- acquired in the Edwin Encarnacion/Carlos Santana deal from CLE

Matt Duffy- acquired in the Matt Moore deal from SF

Brandon Lowe- 3rd rounder

Eric Sogard- acquired from TOR for 2 PTNBL

Joey Wendle- acquired from the Guardians in a minor league deal for Jonah Heim

Avisail Garcia- signed as a FA for 1 yr, $6 mil

Kevin Kiermaier- 31st rounder

Austin Meadows- acquired from PIT in the Chris Archer deal

Tommy Pham- dealt to the Rays from StL for 3 minor league arms

 

17 of the 25 guys above were dealt to TB. 4 were drafted. 2 were signed as amateur IFAs. 2 were MLB free agents. This guy was a part of a team that knew how to win trades. He is now in Boston to win some to rebuild

[moonslav59]

first question out of his mouth...why are we paying this guy $10M to play CF? done.

 

second question out of his mouth...we're going to pay this guy $30M and he's bolting at the end of the year? done

 

third question out of his mouth...you're worried he may opt out? Hell throw in another couple of million for him to opt out. done

 

It's clearer from 30,000 ft looking down. He'll get our payroll down to $100M in no time.

 

1) We would just trade JD rather than pay him to opt out.

2) No way we get even near $100M, let alone under it. My guess is we'll be around $200M next year.

3) Let's give the guy some breathing room.

[Nick]

1) We would just trade JD rather than pay him to opt out.

2) No way we get even near $100M, let alone under it. My guess is we'll be around $200M next year.

3) Let's give the guy some breathing room.

 

He'll be great....he'll keep it around the tax limit

[Slasher9]

Great hire. Should do well for us

[moonslav59]

He'll be great....he'll keep it around the tax limit

 

Had a feeling you were joshin'.

[Larry Cook]

Looks like Henry has learned his lesson and is getting back to the kind of baseball operations that we had prior to desperate Dave running off our brightest and best front office talent.

 

Better late than never Henry!

[Nick]

Had a feeling you were joshin'.

 

You're the only one that gets me......

[Elktonnick]

Bloom is a rational hire. However, the test will be not if he can reduce payroll. Any new GM can do that. The test will be whether he can produce a championship team within the new budgetary constraints Henry seems to have imposed. To state the obvious Boston isn't Tampa. He isn't just competing against the rest of baseball. He will be competing against the Patriots, Bruins and even the Celtics for the attention and affection of Boston's sports fans. Bloom will face intense pressure unlike any he experienced in Florida to "feed the beast" and put fannies in the seats and NESN ratings high. Having a solid farm system may be appealing to many who post here and other Red Sox fora but it will hardly satisfy those rabid Red Sox fans who care about only two things, beating the Yankees and winning titles.

[Dojji]

No, it won't be easy, but in theory, if this guy could help build the Rays to respectability with 1/3 the budget, it may not take long for us to get back to the top.

 

I admit, I know very little about this guy, so maybe my rosy glasses are doing the talking.

 

I'm more optimistic , now than a few days ago and much more so than before we let DD go.

"not long" in this case = less than 4 years.

 

A rapid turnaround is what DD did and we don't want that. This is going to have to be more organic, and it's going to just plain take time to prime the pump and rebuild the pipeline.

 

I think we're in for a bit of a dark time in the short term. We'll see if Henry has the stomach for it.

[moonslav59]

"not long" in this case = less than 4 years.

 

A rapid turnaround is what DD did and we don't want that. This is going to have to be more organic, and it's going to just plain take time to prime the pump and rebuild the pipeline.

 

I think we're in for a bit of a dark time in the short term. We'll see if Henry has the stomach for it.

 

In my opinion, the darker it gets, the faster the rebuild might be. Having a high budget can keep us from being really bad, but being really bad gets top draft picks (or better ones). The IFA market might be the real key to rebuilding the farm quickly and finding ML ready players, too.

 

I've been expecting a cliff for a while now, so I was prepared for this, and I was okay with DD's plan as long as it got us a ring. It did.

 

I lived through decades of futility with no prize at the end of those waits. A 4 year wait would not be fun, but if there's a prize afterwards, all is good with me.

 

Those 3 last place finishes with Ben at the helm sucked big time, but I never lost hope. We had a great core of young players AND a super farm, so the optimism off set the gloomy 3 seasons.

 

I'm hopeful this guy will make the rebuild go more quickly and more forcefully.

[oldtimer]

In my opinion, the darker it gets, the faster the rebuild might be. Having a high budget can keep us from being really bad, but being really bad gets top draft picks (or better ones). The IFA market might be the real key to rebuilding the farm quickly and finding ML ready players, too.

 

I've been expecting a cliff for a while now, so I was prepared for this, and I was okay with DD's plan as long as it got us a ring. It did.

 

I lived through decades of futility with no prize at the end of those waits. A 4 year wait would not be fun, but if there's a prize afterwards, all is good with me.

 

Those 3 last place finishes with Ben at the helm sucked big time, but I never lost hope. We had a great core of young players AND a super farm, so the optimism off set the gloomy 3 seasons.

 

I'm hopeful this guy will make the rebuild go more quickly and more forcefully.

 

So, the FO seems to be determined and no doubt Chaim will need to have a period to develop an understanding of the personnel and coaches and learn the opinions of the other FO and owership views. Maybe he is a quick study, but it will no doubt take time.

 

The first key event will be forced by JDM's opt out clause which may be exercised no later than 5 days after the WS. After that, the big opportunity will come up during the winter meetings from Dec 9th through 12th. It will be interesting to see what the intervening period will hold as far as coaching and player changes. I do think the aim will be to drop below the first tier of the competitive balance tax, but not to waste the good young talent that we currently have. It will be an interesting ride.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Here is an interesting article Bloom wrote while still in college that was posted on another chat site:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/2475/evaluating-a-rod-is-he-worth-the-money-in-todays-market/

 

It's about the top-paid player in 2003 -- ARod -- and discusses his gargantuan contract in terms of value and production. Bloom analyzes and compares other star players and concludes that ARod's consistency is actually a worthy investment that can't be replaced. Hopefully, Bloom still uses such metrics when making a decision on the Mookster...

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Funny how it works out. Last year I wanted the Mets, my second favorite baseball team, to hire Bloom. I knew Bloom was a baseball genius at that time. When the Mets hired Brody VanWagon over him, it was the same old story: typical Mets, they hired the guy who plays golf with the owner over the better baseball mind.

 

But now I'm totally psyched and happy the Mets didn't hire Bloom, leaving him for the Red Sox. Another brilliant move by John Henry. He knows the right guy to bring in at the right time.

[Red Foreman]

I have read two articles from independent national writers who both suggested that up until now he was the most qualified guy in baseball without the GM title.

[Tedballgame]

He's not going to get the sox below $100 mil, let's be honest. But he is the kind of hire that flies with the Epstein's and the Cherington's of the world. He comes from a system that emphasizes scouting and home grown talent. He is going to make re-energizing the sox farm priority #1. The other thing you guys may enjoy is that TB was built on trades. Everyone thinks they're this home grown great story, but they really aren't. They're a home grown team that gets dealt off for cheap talent that fits better. Look at their roster

 

Nick Anderson-acquired for Rays draftee Ryne Stanek

Diego Castillo- IFA signing

Yonny Chirinos- IFA signing

Oliver Drake- traded for cash considerations

Tyler Glasnow- acquired in the Chris Archer deal

Brendan McKay- drafted by TB

Charlie Morton- signed as a FA for $30 mil

Emilio Pagan- acquired in a 3 way deal that sent Profar to the A's

Colin Poche- acquired as a PTBNL in the Steven Souza deal

Chaz Roe- acquired for cash considerations from ATL

Blake Snell- 2nd rounder

Ryan Yarbrough- acquired from SEA in the Drew Smyly deal

Travis D'Arnaud- acquired from LA for cash considerations

Mike Zunino- acquired from SEA in the Mallex Smith deal

Willy Adames- acquired from Detroit in the David Price trade

Ji-Man Choi- acquired from MIL for Brad Miller

Yandy Diaz- acquired in the Edwin Encarnacion/Carlos Santana deal from CLE

Matt Duffy- acquired in the Matt Moore deal from SF

Brandon Lowe- 3rd rounder

Eric Sogard- acquired from TOR for 2 PTNBL

Joey Wendle- acquired from the Guardians in a minor league deal for Jonah Heim

Avisail Garcia- signed as a FA for 1 yr, $6 mil

Kevin Kiermaier- 31st rounder

Austin Meadows- acquired from PIT in the Chris Archer deal

Tommy Pham- dealt to the Rays from StL for 3 minor league arms

 

17 of the 25 guys above were dealt to TB. 4 were drafted. 2 were signed as amateur IFAs. 2 were MLB free agents. This guy was a part of a team that knew how to win trades. He is now in Boston to win some to rebuild

Great post. Very informative.

[Tedballgame]

First order of business, trade JBJ. Next try to sign Betts. If he rejects offer, trade him for as much as you can get. If Betts is traded, try to keep JDM. Then, get some reliable bullpen guys.

[Tedballgame]

I like the move. Bloom will be innovative and creative. He will build a farm system while having a title contending team. Hope he can find a way to get rid of Price but that will be hard to do.

[moonslav59]

First order of business, trade JBJ. Next try to sign Betts. If he rejects offer, trade him for as much as you can get. If Betts is traded, try to keep JDM. Then, get some reliable bullpen guys.

 

With no Betts, I don't see the benefit of keeping JD. 2020 would be over, so then just look to 2021 and beyond- fully.

Edited October 27, 2019 by moonslav59

[moonslav59]

I like the move. Bloom will be innovative and creative. He will build a farm system while having a title contending team. Hope he can find a way to get rid of Price but that will be hard to do.

 

It might be better to hope Price rebounds.

 

If we trade him, we'd likely have to pay half his salary. Is saving $15M worth opening a new hole in the rotation?

 

Close call, IMO.

 

[cp176]

Bloom is a rational hire. However, the test will be not if he can reduce payroll. Any new GM can do that. The test will be whether he can produce a championship team within the new budgetary constraints Henry seems to have imposed. To state the obvious Boston isn't Tampa. He isn't just competing against the rest of baseball. He will be competing against the Patriots, Bruins and even the Celtics for the attention and affection of Boston's sports fans. Bloom will face intense pressure unlike any he experienced in Florida to "feed the beast" and put fannies in the seats and NESN ratings high. Having a solid farm system may be appealing to many who post here and other Red Sox fora but it will hardly satisfy those rabid Red Sox fans who care about only two things, beating the Yankees and winning titles.

 

This is a sensible post. I hope and do think that the hire looks like a good one but to some here it would appear that our savior has finally been hired. he doesn't pitch nor does he play the field and i don't think that he will be doing much for us at the plate either. Personally, i will not be happy if the team that is put together on the field next year is not a competitive team. I don't think that I am alone in feeling this way. I am a supporter of any GM that gets hired by the Sox, but a GM hire does not give me the case of the quivers. I hope though that this guy works a little magic for us. He has the resources available as well as the players to at least allow us to field a successful team that has a chance to win every time they take the field.

[notin]

With no Betts, I don't see the benefit of keeping JD. 2020 would be over, so then just look to 2021 and beyond- fully.

 

No it wouldn’t.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

It might be better to hope Price rebounds.

 

If we trade him, we'd likely have to pay half his salary. Is saving $15M worth opening a new hole in the rotation?

 

Close call, IMO.

 

 

I'd say it's worth it. No matter how the offseason goes with position player contracts, Bloom's main focus has to be pitching; a specialty of his with the Rays. The Red Sox need to change the culture of a pitching staff that nibbles, goes to full counts on every batter, and leads the league in bases on balls (like they did this year). They need more guys like Urquidy, the Astros' World Series hero, hurlers who work fast and throw strikes. It just makes for a better product -- on the field, keeping the defense on its toes -- and off the field, keeping fans awake, alert and ultimately tuned in.

[Bellhorn04]

I'd say it's worth it. No matter how the offseason goes with position player contracts, Bloom's main focus has to be pitching; a specialty of his with the Rays. The Red Sox need to change the culture of a pitching staff that nibbles, goes to full counts on every batter, and leads the league in bases on balls (like they did this year). They need more guys like Urquidy, the Astros' World Series hero, hurlers who work fast and throw strikes. It just makes for a better product -- on the field, keeping the defense on its toes -- and off the field, keeping fans awake, alert and ultimately tuned in.

 

We know that the Red Sox are totally overhauling their pitching management, that was started before Bloom was hired.

 

I must point out though, that our pitching, while awful in 2019, served us pretty well in 2018, including Price, obviously.

[oldtimer]

This is a sensible post. I hope and do think that the hire looks like a good one but to some here it would appear that our savior has finally been hired. he doesn't pitch nor does he play the field and i don't think that he will be doing much for us at the plate either. Personally, i will not be happy if the team that is put together on the field next year is not a competitive team. I don't think that I am alone in feeling this way. I am a supporter of any GM that gets hired by the Sox, but a GM hire does not give me the case of the quivers. I hope though that this guy works a little magic for us. He has the resources available as well as the players to at least allow us to field a successful team that has a chance to win every time they take the field.

 

I will be happy if Bloom can start us on the path to a better farm, keep us somewhat competitive and also start the process of recovering from DD's excesses. I do not believe all that can be done in a year or even two, but I want to see a positive direction. When we get closer to championship quality, we can spend the money after making the effort to reset first.