Craig Breslow hired as Head Of Baseball Operations

[notin]

Cohen, circa 2023: "Remember, you can only sign two pitchers pushing 40 years old for $40 million AAV apiece -- just two, no more!"

 

 

“And save the receipts!!”

[notin]

You can find it hard that he chose not to spend, but the owners were upset he failed to make moves at the most recent deadlines. How do you make moves without spending?

 

Trade…

[moonslav59]

Just to clarify - Bloom did not "go over" at the 22 deadline, the problem for many is that he "stayed over" when he had the chance to "get under" by trading Bogaerts/JD/Nate etc.

 

True. He was able to dump Diekman's salary at the deadline, but it wasn't nearly enough. It's obvious he was not in "sell mode." He did some selling, like Vaz & Diekman, but he also bought with Pham, Hosmer and to some extent McGuire.

[mvp 78]

Trade…

 

Did he make trades?

[moonslav59]

You can find it hard that he chose not to spend, but the owners were upset he failed to make moves at the most recent deadlines. How do you make moves without spending?

 

There are ways to get good players without adding salary. There are ways to shed some salary (like the reported lost chance to trade Sale,) and then adding equal or less salary through further trades.

 

Bloom did leave some money on the table in '23, at the deadline. He could have added someone without going over the tax line, but I do think staying under the line was a pretty firm priority in '20, '21 and '23.

 

Do you think he chose to not spend what he could have spent, very often?

[moonslav59]

Did he make trades?

 

Yes, in 2020 (sell), 2021 (buy) and '22 (buy & sell)- just not 2023.

 

He was "Mr. Dithers" in 2023, yes.

[notin]

Did he make trades?

 

Yes but he avoided meaningful ones in 2022 and 2023…

[moonslav59]

Yes but he avoided meaningful ones in 2022 and 2023…

 

Had he gone total fire sale in '22, a major group of Sox fans would have gone ape s***.

 

Had he gone total buy mode in '22, I doubt we'd have gone very far, but yes, playing it halfway with piddly-ass moves please nobody.

 

I was of the opinion we should have been buyer in '23, but I'm not sure even 2-3 major moves that all worked would have been enough.

 

In hindsight, I think we should have sold in '22 and '23.

[dgalehouse]

Bloom is a smart guy. He has to learn from his mistakes when he gets another opportunity. As it was, he just was not ready for prime time in Boston.

[mvp 78]

Yes but he avoided meaningful ones in 2022 and 2023…

 

And got his ass sacked.

[mvp 78]

Yes, in 2020 (sell), 2021 (buy) and '22 (buy & sell)- just not 2023.

 

He was "Mr. Dithers" in 2023, yes.

 

Oh, I bet ownership loved what he did at the '22 deadline.

[moonslav59]

Oh, I bet ownership loved what he did at the '22 deadline.

 

He wasn't Mr. Dithers in '22. That was my point.

 

He wasn't successful is another issue.

[mvp 78]

He wasn't Mr. Dithers in '22. That was my point.

 

He wasn't successful is another issue.

 

He traded Vaz and then TURTLED. He treaded water. He DITHERED. He had an offer on the table for Chris Sale and another for JD Martinez and would dump either contract.

[mvp 78]

Bloom's '22 deadline dealings in order:

 

Almonte for cash

Danny Santana to MiLB deal

Pham for PTBNL

McGuire for Diekman

Abreu and Valdez for Vaz

DITHERING

Hosmer, Ferguson and Rosier for Groome

[moonslav59]

He traded Vaz and then TURTLED. He treaded water. He DITHERED. He had an offer on the table for Chris Sale and another for JD Martinez and would dump either contract.

 

Again, I totally agree on the idea that he should have sold more and got under the tax line.

 

I would not call making 5 trades "dithering." He was decisive, but wrong on his choices.

 

To me, dithering is doing nothing or next to nothing, or wasting time on near trades or fearing pulling the trigger on bigger deals, not made.

[mvp 78]

Again, I totally agree on the idea that he should have sold more and got under the tax line.

 

I would not call making 5 trades "dithering." He was decisive, but wrong on his choices.

 

To me, dithering is doing nothing or next to nothing, or wasting time on near trades or fearing pulling the trigger on bigger deals, not made.

 

Pham, McGuire and Hosmer are next to nothing. Like I said, it was Vaz and Dithering.

[notin]

Pham, McGuire and Hosmer are next to nothing. Like I said, it was Vaz and Dithering.

 

McGuire may or may not have been nothing, but trading Diekman was a big deal…

[mvp 78]

McGuire may or may not have been nothing, but trading Diekman was a big deal…

 

Wow, the could have just DFA'd him. They never used the cost savings in '23.

[Bellhorn04]

At the '22 deadline Bloom made tiny lateral movements. The results were lousy. It was virtually the same as doing nothing.

 

He may have gotten something in the Vaz trade, though.

[Bellhorn04]

Wow, the could have just DFA'd him. They never used the cost savings in '23.

 

Yacht repair money.

[Bellhorn04]

Small samples, but Abreu and Valdez both did pretty well at the plate in their MLB debuts.

[moonslav59]

Pham, McGuire and Hosmer are next to nothing. Like I said, it was Vaz and Dithering.

 

I understand your point.

 

I guess we are arguing semantics. I don't think making 5 moves is dithering. I think he should have made bigger moves and better moves, but he made 5 decisions. Dithering is avoiding decisions.

[moonslav59]

Small samples, but Abreu and Valdez both did pretty well at the plate in their MLB debuts.

 

McGuire may turn out okay (or be DFA's.)

 

Rosier may surprise.

 

He could have gotten much more, if he had the balls to fire sale it.

[notin]

Yacht repair money.

 

Could have just stuffed Diekman into the hole…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I totally expect Breslow to acquire a viable right-handed hitting outfielder soon (and this will be an immediate difference from Bloom, who identified the same need in early '22 and took a year to fill it).

 

If Duvall is resigned, he can play LF, while Yoshida DHs more. Or someone like Gurriel or Teoscar may be in LF, with Duran and maybe Michael Taylor platooning in CF (unless Duran is traded), and a rookie platoon of Abreu/Rafaela in RF. Taylor, a Gold Glove, actually hit 21 HRs last year.

[moonslav59]

I totally expect Breslow to acquire a viable right-handed hitting outfielder soon (and this will be an immediate difference from Bloom, who identified the same need in early '22 and took a year to fill it).

 

If Duvall is resigned, he can play LF, while Yoshida DHs more. Or someone like Gurriel or Teoscar may be in LF, with Duran and maybe Michael Taylor platooning in CF (unless Duran is traded), and a rookie platoon of Abreu/Rafaela in RF. Taylor, a Gold Glove, actually hit 21 HRs last year.

 

I hope it's not another LF'er like Gurriel.

 

If we knew Taylor could repeat .720, I'd sign him, pronto.

 

.690 would be okay.

[mvp 78]

I understand your point.

 

I guess we are arguing semantics. I don't think making 5 moves is dithering. I think he should have made bigger moves and better moves, but he made 5 decisions. Dithering is avoiding decisions.

 

You do think what he did was dithering though. You said as much in your definition.

 

To me, dithering is doing nothing or next to nothing, or wasting time on near trades or fearing pulling the trigger on bigger deals, not made.

 

He refused the JD and Sale trades (bigger deal). What he accomplished didn't push the needle or help the ballclub in a meaningful way (nothing or next to nothing).

[moonslav59]

You do think what he did was dithering though. You said as much in your definition.

 

 

 

He refused the JD and Sale trades (bigger deal). What he accomplished didn't push the needle or help the ballclub in a meaningful way (nothing or next to nothing).

 

Okay, he "dithered" on big trades, but that was not how the statement was presented.

 

His making 5 trades is not "dithering," IMO.

 

He dithered at the 2023 deadline.

[mvp 78]

Okay, he "dithered" on big trades, but that was not how the statement was presented.

 

His making 5 trades is not "dithering," IMO.

 

He dithered at the 2023 deadline.

 

I believe he dithered in '22 because he refused to trade JD or Sale when given the opportunity.

[Bellhorn04]

Okay, he "dithered" on big trades, but that was not how the statement was presented.

 

His making 5 trades is not "dithering," IMO.

 

He dithered at the 2023 deadline.

 

2022 was more like "dicking around", I guess. We'll make it 2 separate categories.

 

The result was the same both years - stumbling to a 78-win finish.