And I'm not letting Bloom off the hook. But there's a logical disconnect here. Were they rebuilding and controlling payroll or what the f*** were they doing? I'm not sure Henry knows what he wants anymore.
Somebody should ask John Henry point blank why, if the Sox were so committed to winning this year, they dropped all the f**king way to the middle of the pack in payroll for the first time in his ownership?
And personally, I'm not faulting Cora or the team for their effort. I think they've been doing their best. The woefully thin starting rotation has just been impossible to overcome.
Henry and Werner have been excellent owners. They've also been miserable pricks. You can be both.
Bloom knew what he was getting into, though, or he should have.
Some managers get accused of hooking their pitchers too early. Henry is Captain Hook when it comes to CBO's. 3 guys in a row hooked after the 4th inning.
Sez Shaughnessy:
Bloom’s tenure saw considerable dropoff in fan interest as the Sox lurched toward irrelevance in a competitive sports market. Boston’s beleaguered baseball boss seemed to care more about his coveted draft picks than the success of the major league team. He gave Cora a misfit roster sprinkled with spare parts (Franchy Cordero?) forced to play out of position. He left Cora without enough healthy arms on multiple occasions.
So if Shaughnessy's article is indicative, Boston media will be putting a lot of the heat on ownership for their part in this, i.e. trading Betts and cutting the budget.