Back in 2019, the Boston Red Sox pilfered Chaim Bloom from their AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. The idea was for Bloom to bring the Rays’ version of ‘Moneyball’ to Boston. Just imagine, if Bloom was able to take a team like the Rays, who had MLB’s lowest payroll at $49 million in 2019, to the playoffs; what could he do with the resources the Red Sox could provide?
Four years later, we have our answer. Bloom couldn’t make lightning strike twice, leaving all his magic behind in Tampa Bay. Now, the Red Sox are moving on, firing Bloom after four seasons. The Sox went 267-262 in Bloom’s time as the team’s chief baseball officer, reaching the postseason just once when they were defeated by the Houston Astros in six games.
After two fifth-place and one fourth-place finish in the AL East, the Red Sox won’t even chance risking another bad season with Bloom calling the shots. Now, the search for a new top baseball executive begins in Boston, but they won’t have any trouble finding a qualified candidate ready to re-shape the Red Sox into a winner at Fenway Park.
As for Bloom, he’ll likely quickly land on his feet in another organization in a reduced role, focusing on what he’s best at while continuing to refine what went wrong in Boston in case he gets another chance to run a different baseball organization in the future. Who knows? He might even head back to Tampa Bay to help the Rays again.
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