How is Bloom doing as a GM?

[iortiz]

You're doing great, my man.

 

Thank you brother

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

But none of them reach into their own pockets. For the most part what they spend is tied to the franchise's revenues.

 

How many corporate patches does a team have to sell before it can afford a big league first baseman? Ok, Casas wasn't quite ready to take over fulltime, before he was injured again. But the Red Sox knew Shaw wasn't the answer when they cut him after the first month for hitting .000 (zero).

 

Can anyone imagine the Yankees or Dodgers not spending funds or prospect capital to immediately acquire half of an MLB platoon at the one of the most common positions to fill in the majors? Can anyone imagine NY or LA instead promoting a minor leaguer who already proved he couldn't play outfield in the bigs to learn an infield spot in. The. Show?

 

And finally, after 100+ games of paralysis, Boston adds a major league first baseman to its roster only because another club paid them to take him?

[Bellhorn04]

How many corporate patches does a team have to sell before it can afford a big league first baseman? Ok, Casas wasn't quite ready to take over fulltime, before he was injured again. But the Red Sox knew Shaw wasn't the answer when they cut him after the first month for hitting .000 (zero).

 

Can anyone imagine the Yankees or Dodgers not spending funds or prospect capital to immediately acquire half of an MLB platoon at the one of the most common positions to fill in the majors? Can anyone imagine NY or LA instead promoting a minor leaguer who already proved he couldn't play outfield in the bigs to learn an infield spot in. The. Show?

 

Actually, yes, the Yankees were in a very similar situation last year, and that's why they got Rizzo at the deadline.

 

Ask and ye shall receive!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Actually, yes, the Yankees were in a very similar situation last year, and that's why they got Rizzo at the deadline.

 

Ask and ye shall receive!

 

It's not quite the same when you can play the AL batting champ and the AL home run champ over there before you upgrade with a better all-around first sacker at the deadline. Both DJ and Voit were legitimate big leaguers, at least.

[notin]

All in all, I think so.

 

Their day of reckoning will come…

[Jasonbay44]

I’m going with “Ok” for now but trending downwards. He’s made some good moves, but also made a lot of questionable moves and as it stands right now, I can’t get a grasp on what he’s trying to do and doesn’t appear to have a real plan.

[Bellhorn04]

My real position is an agnostic one right now. I think 2023 will be a defining year for him.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

My real position is an agnostic one right now. I think 2023 will be a defining year for him.

 

I can't imagine things turning around that dramatically in one season. Even if Bogey walks and Devers is traded, will Bloom be spending to acquire an ace starter, a lights-out closer, and at least two 30-homer hitters -- all assets that define contenders and champions in modern hardball?

 

Getting a few MLB-ready regulars to fill some holes, and promoting a few minor leaguers to man other key spots might provide hope for the future, but if the new Sox aren't much better than .500, that may not be good enough for a Nation turning its lonely eyes to Bloom...

[Bellhorn04]

I can't imagine things turning around that dramatically in one season. Even if Bogey walks and Devers is traded, will Bloom be spending to acquire an ace starter, a lights-out closer, and at least two 30-homer hitters -- all assets that define contenders and champions in modern hardball?

 

Getting a few MLB-ready regulars to fill some holes, and promoting a few minor leaguers to man other key spots might provide hope for the future, but if the new Sox aren't much better than .500, that may not be good enough for a Nation turning its lonely eyes to Bloom...

 

If the 2023 Red Sox muddle around .500 again, it might put Bloom's job in some jeopardy.

 

Henry knew this was going to take some patience. When does his patience end, is the question.

[notin]

How many corporate patches does a team have to sell before it can afford a big league first baseman? Ok, Casas wasn't quite ready to take over fulltime, before he was injured again. But the Red Sox knew Shaw wasn't the answer when they cut him after the first month for hitting .000 (zero).

 

Can anyone imagine the Yankees or Dodgers not spending funds or prospect capital to immediately acquire half of an MLB platoon at the one of the most common positions to fill in the majors? Can anyone imagine NY or LA instead promoting a minor leaguer who already proved he couldn't play outfield in the bigs to learn an infield spot in. The. Show?

 

And finally, after 100+ games of paralysis, Boston adds a major league first baseman to its roster only because another club paid them to take him?

 

Do you remember the Yankee shortstop situation in 2021?

[Bellhorn04]

Do you remember the Yankee shortstop situation in 2021?

 

The Yankee first base situation in 2021 was not ideal either, as I pointed out.

[notin]

It's not quite the same when you can play the AL batting champ and the AL home run champ over there before you upgrade with a better all-around first sacker at the deadline. Both DJ and Voit were legitimate big leaguers, at least.

 

LeMahieu absolutely.

 

But Voit? When the Yankees acquired him he was a 27yo AAAA player with 137 career PA. It feels disingenuous to label many of their acquisitions like Voit or Gio Urshela as legitimate big leaguers but not consider the far more established Travis Shaw as one…

[notin]

The Yankee first base situation in 2021 was not ideal either, as I pointed out.

 

That infield was very misaligned due to the lack of anyone capable of playing SS. Torres at 2b. The 6’5” LaMahieu at 1b. That makes more sense to me…

[Bellhorn04]

LeMahieu absolutely.

 

But Voit? When the Yankees acquired him he was a 27yo AAAA player with 137 career PA. It feels disingenuous to label many of their acquisitions like Voit or Gio Urshela as legitimate big leaguers but not consider the far more established Travis Shaw as one…

 

LeMahieu was generally needed at second base, with Torres playing shortstop.

 

Cashman did a good job rectifying that situation.

[Kimmi]

I'll go with B+. He's not trending in either direction, IMO. He has a plan and he's sticking to it. Last year, things worked out for us. This year, not so much. Either way, the focus is on long term sustainability. That type of plan takes roughly 5 years to fully execute. Time will tell.

 

He has not been perfect, but I am overall very pleased with the direction in which he is taking this team.

[moonslav59]

I'll go with B+. He's not trending in either direction, IMO. He has a plan and he's sticking to it. Last year, things worked out for us. This year, not so much. Either way, the focus is on long term sustainability. That type of plan takes roughly 5 years to fully execute. Time will tell.

 

He has not been perfect, but I am overall very pleased with the direction in which he is taking this team.

 

I don't think Henry and Bloom's plan involved winning a ring in 2022, so it's hard to assign a grade based on that.

 

I agree on the long term outlook looking much better than it did after 2019 and 2020, and a bit better after 2021.

 

This winter will be Bloom's flashpoint moment and will largely set his legacy in stone.

[a700hitter]

What aspect of the Red Sox organization was improved in 22? The major league team has been a train wreck, especially the pitching staff and most notably the bullpen. Has the talent in the farm system been significantly upgraded in 22 while the MLB team has been crashing and burning? Where are our big blue chippers? Do we have any future stars? What is their ETA? As of now, I score him a C-, and that is being generous.

[moonslav59]

What aspect of the Red Sox organization was improved in 22? The major league team has been a train wreck, especially the pitching staff and most notably the bullpen. Has the talent in the farm system been significantly upgraded in 22 while the MLB team has been crashing and burning? Where are our big blue chippers? Do we have any future stars? What is their ETA? As of now, I score him a C-, and that is being generous.

 

The farm was upgraded over 2021.

 

The 40 man roster for 2023 was improved at the deadline (McGuire, Hosmer, Pham added without losing a single player with team control beyond 2022.)

 

Added Prospects:

10. Romero (draft)

14. Anthony (draft)

16 and rising. E Valdez (Vaz trade)

20. Coffey (draft)

26. Abreu (Vaz trade)

28. Binelas (JBJ trade)

 

Plus, many of Bloom's earlier farm additions seem to have made strides. (true, many have not.) This does not address your point.

1. Mayer (draft)

4. Yorke (draft- stock has fallen)

9. Winckowski (Beni trade)

12. Seabold (Workman/Hembree trade w Pivetta)

17. Wong (Betts trade)

18. Jordan (draft)

22. Hickey (draft) Stock rose a ton

25. Kavadas (draft) Stock rose a ton

30. German (Ottavino trade) might be a ket pen piece in 2023

 

[dgalehouse]

The proof is always in the pudding . And this pudding has a sour taste.

[notin]

What aspect of the Red Sox organization was improved in 22? The major league team has been a train wreck, especially the pitching staff and most notably the bullpen. Has the talent in the farm system been significantly upgraded in 22 while the MLB team has been crashing and burning? Where are our big blue chippers? Do we have any future stars? What is their ETA? As of now, I score him a C-, and that is being generous.

 

Interestingly the staff is being carried by the recent additions. The top 6 fWAR pitchers are all Bloom adds, with the inherited pitchers lead by Houck coming in later.

 

Crawford had become the gem of the inherited pitchers, having an fWAR equal to $63mill worth of Eovaldi, Sale and Price combined.

 

Despite not drafting much pitching, it’s odd to say it is getting better with Crawford, Winckowski, Whitlock, and Schreiber all looking good.

 

I don’t see much in the way of blue chip prospects beyond Mayer. I get the impression Bleis will be one. I think Ceddane Rafaela could also be one.

 

One neglected aspect of this team that has carried over is the overall horrible defense, which does make the pitching look worse. And it’s not just the OF defense, either…

[moonslav59]

Despite not drafting much pitching, it’s odd to say it is getting better with Crawford, Winckowski, Whitlock, and Schreiber all looking good.

 

Seems to be a consistent trait of every Sox GM since early Theo.

[oldtimer]

I didn't vote since no category seemed to fit my assessment, which is his efforts have been a mixed bag with some good and other bad decisions. The lack of meaningful action at the winter meetings, before the spring kickoff and at the trade deadline didn't match his rhetoric. All of this seems to be part of a pattern with him. The Sox still exceeded the CBT threshold while dropping to the bottom of our division. If I were a teacher I would give him a grade of C- and closely monitor his progress going forward.

[notin]

I didn't vote since no category seemed to fit my assessment, which is his efforts have been a mixed bag with some good and other bad decisions. The lack of meaningful action at the winter meetings, before the spring kickoff and at the trade deadline didn't match his rhetoric. All of this seems to be part of a pattern with him. The Sox still exceeded the CBT threshold while dropping to the bottom of our division. If I were a teacher I would give him a grade of C- and closely monitor his progress going forward.

 

 

No parent conference?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I didn't vote since no category seemed to fit my assessment, which is his efforts have been a mixed bag with some good and other bad decisions. The lack of meaningful action at the winter meetings, before the spring kickoff and at the trade deadline didn't match his rhetoric. All of this seems to be part of a pattern with him. The Sox still exceeded the CBT threshold while dropping to the bottom of our division. If I were a teacher I would give him a grade of C- and closely monitor his progress going forward.

 

Chaim has shown he is a capable student. I am sure his scores can improve with more focus on academics, and less on social issues; with a recommendation of winter school, and a few sessions with Professor Dombrowski, the budget's the limit!

[a700hitter]

Despite not drafting much pitching, it’s odd to say it is getting better with Crawford, Winckowski, Whitlock, and Schreiber all looking good.

 

Only Kansas City has a worse ERA in the AL. If that is improvement, I wouldn't trumpeting it.

[moonslav59]

Only Kansas City has a worse ERA in the AL. If that is improvement, I wouldn't trumpeting it.

 

The trumpeting blares at just how bad Bloom's inherited pitchers were, this year in ERA, not how great the staff was.

 

The staff is 13th in ERA- and 9th in xFIP-. There is no sugar-coating how bad this staff was.

 

These numbers show a more balanced credit/blame matrix.

By pitchers (30+ IP):

 

ERA-

47 Scheiber

66 Wacha

74 Whitlock

77 Houck (DD's guy)

78 Sawamura

98 Danish

102 Nate (DD)

102 Crawford (DD)

103 Diekman

110 Pivetta

115 Wink

115 Davis

116 Hill

130 Brasier (DD)

 

xFIP-

67 Schreiber

83 Whitlock

84 Nate (DD)

87 Brasier (DD)

92 Houck (DD)

102 Danish

104 Crawford (DD)

105 Pivetta

105 Sawamura

108 Wacha

109 Davis

111 Hill

114 Diekman

115 Wink

[jad]

If the person responsible for the roster were doing a good job, or even a decent job, it would not require a spread-cheat to demonstrate that.

[a700hitter]

The trumpeting blares at just how bad Bloom's inherited pitchers were, this year in ERA, not how great the staff was.

 

The staff is 13th in ERA- and 9th in xFIP-. There is no sugar-coating how bad this staff was.

 

These numbers show a more balanced credit/blame matrix.

By pitchers (30+ IP):

 

ERA-

47 Scheiber

66 Wacha

74 Whitlock

77 Houck (DD's guy)

78 Sawamura

98 Danish

102 Nate (DD)

102 Crawford (DD)

103 Diekman

110 Pivetta

115 Wink

115 Davis

116 Hill

130 Brasier (DD)

 

xFIP-

67 Schreiber

83 Whitlock

84 Nate (DD)

87 Brasier (DD)

92 Houck (DD)

102 Danish

104 Crawford (DD)

105 Pivetta

105 Sawamura

108 Wacha

109 Davis

111 Hill

114 Diekman

115 Wink

I don't know what you mean by "inherited pitchers". There are only 4 DD guys on your list, and other than Nate, none of them carries a big financial commitment. He could easily have sent them packing and replaced them with upgrades.

[moonslav59]

I don't know what you mean by "inherited pitchers". There are only 4 DD guys on your list, and other than Nate, none of them carries a big financial commitment. He could easily have sent them packing and replaced them with upgrades.

 

Sounds like you know exactly what I meant.

[Larry Cook]

I don't know what you mean by "inherited pitchers". There are only 4 DD guys on your list, and other than Nate, none of them carries a big financial commitment. He could easily have sent them packing and replaced them with upgrades.

 

And why do you think he did not send them packing?