Welcome to Boston, Chaim Bloom.
On Monday morning, the Red Sox announced the hiring of Bloom as the organization’s Chief Baseball Officer. In a press release sent out by the team, Bloom’s role was described as being “responsible for all baseball operations matters.”
During his introductory press conference at Fenway Park later that day, on Monday afternoon, Bloom announced he was promoting Brian O’Halloran to the General Manager position. That’s kind of an awkward move, considering that O’Halloran — as Red Sox Executive Vice President and Assistant General Manager — was part of the group that interviewed Bloom for the role of what we now know to be “Chief Baseball Officer.”
Bloom, 36, is essentially replacing Dave Dombrowski as Red Sox President of Baseball Operations. And much like O’Halloran served under Dombrowski, he’ll now also serve under Bloom. Only, this time, O’Halloran won’t be the Assistant GM. He’ll be the GM.
Clear enough for you? Good.
O’Halloran’s “promotion” suggests that Bloom will probably be working more closely with his peers than Dombrowski did. Perhaps that was one of the reasons the Red Sox and Dombrowski parted ways, back in September.
However, the Red Sox can make all the front office moves they want. None of it removes the elephant in the room, which is the future of Mookie Betts in Boston.
Betts is entering his final year of arbitration, and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season. With Bloom having spent the last 15 years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, his connection to handling business like a small-market Rays team would, will exist here in Boston until he makes that big-money, major-market splash. Betts would be a great start.
But another concern is the current mindset of Red Sox ownership, who have gone on the record saying their goal is to get under the luxury tax threshold this offseason. That would imply the likelihood of a Betts trade, more so than a Betts blockbuster extension.
It should be noted that Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy stressed, “It’s a goal, not a mandate,” with regards to getting under the luxury tax threshold. That’s good news, and leaves the door open to locking Betts up to a long-term contract this winter.
In order for that to happen — even though cutting payroll is a goal, not a mandate — Bloom and O’Halloran will have to shed salary somewhere. It could come in the form of trading David Price. It could come in the form of hoping J.D. Martinez opts out. It could come in the form of both of those things. But make no mistake, it has to come in some form.
I’ve already gone over all the options, and the things the Red Sox can and should do in order to make Betts a $300 million contract offer. But now that the organization has all their front-office pieces in place, the question becomes, “What’s Bloom’s plan?”
I’m going to take anything Bloom said at his introductory press conference with a grain of salt. The real work is only going to take place behind the scenes. But his first job won’t be easy. Because, most likely, Betts and his representatives are going to play hard ball.
How will Bloom handle that? Does O’Halloran have the ability to help Bloom shed salary with creative trades and then agree to a deal with Betts? If so, why wouldn’t the Red Sox just make O’Halloran the Chief Baseball Officer instead of hiring Bloom?
At the end of the day, John Henry is the one writing the checks. And with Dombrowski gone, and Bloom and O’Halloran being chosen to run the baseball operations, there seems to be some type of plan in place.
I’d be lying if I told you I knew what that plan was.
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