The Red Sox have spent the last decade zig-zagging from worst to first, with a couple of quick playoff exits and two World Series Championships, all in dizzying fashion. It makes it really difficult to figure out this team’s identity.
No club can be expected to win their division every year, much less the World Series. But this organization veers from horrible to extraordinary far too often, spending too many seasons in the horrible category. Take a look at the schizophrenic nature of this club over the past decade:
2013: 97-65, first place (won World Series 4-2)
2014: 71-91, last place
2015: 78-84, last place
2016: 93-69, first place (lost ALDS 3-0)
2017: 93-69, first place (lost ALDS 3-1)
2018: 108-54 first place (won World Series 4-1)
2019: 84-78, third place
2020: 24-36, last place
2021: 92-70, second place (lost ALCS 4-2)
2022: last place
Chaim Bloom has now been at the helm for three seasons. His mission, he's said repeatedly, is to make the Red Sox a contender, year after year. He intends to balance both near-term and long-term concerns. That’s laudable, but it doesn’t seem to be working. The Sox have finished in last place two times in three seasons on Bloom’s watch.
None of the players drafted durning Bloom’s term will impact the big league roster for at least a few more years, if ever. Prospects are a gamble and most never even play in the big leagues, never mind become stars or even starters.
Bloom has so far signed just one star free agent, Trevor Story, handing out the only long-term, high-dollar contract of his tenure (six years, $140M). This isn’t the path to success in a big market, such as Boston. The region loves its sports stars.
Most of the current money on Boston’s books was here before Bloom arrived. But the result is still troubling. The Red Sox remain in last place in the AL East, behind even the Baltimore Orioles, who have about one-fifth of Boston's payroll.
The fact that the Red Sox are poised to end this season in last place, yet over the luxury tax threshold, is inexplicable because it’s unimaginable.
Money needs to be spent this winter, but it needs to be spent wisely. The Red Sox need more high-character leaders in their clubhouse and dugout. When the Sox won the World Series in 2013, they did so on the backs of just such players: Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, David Ross and Ryan Dempster. All of them were relatively inexpensive, free-agent veterans. Ben Cherington spread the money around wisely, addressing many needs.
That would be good advice for Bloom this winter. But first he needs to be willing to spend.
Improving the Red Sox via trades hasn’t proved to be Bloom’s forte. He lost the Mookie Betts trade, the Andrew Benintendi trade, and the Hunter Renfroe trade.
The only one he got right was Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree for Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold.
To this point, Bloom doesn't look like a baseball savant.
