Chaim Bloom sounds ready to make moves to improve Red Sox ahead of trade deadline
BOSTON -- The Red Sox have been the best team in baseball since the start of July. And with the trade deadline less than a week away, Chaim Bloom is going to do whatever he can to make the team even better.
Boston is still on the outside of the playoff picture, sitting 1.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. They're well within striking distance of making the postseason, and with sweeps of the Braves and Blue Jays -- plus a series win over the Rangers -- over the last month, it looks like they may even be able to make some noise if they make the playoffs.
Bloom is obviously encouraged by how the team has played over the last month. It's nothing short of impressive that Alex Cora has this team winning despite being down to just three starters in the rotation. And with players coming back, there is reason for optimism that they can get better just by staying put.
But Bloom has no desire to just stay put. He's on the hunt for outside help, ready to make moves to not only improve the team this year, but in the future as well.
"My nature is to never think we are getting closer. The state of this game is such that people are competing in the front offices and behind the scenes that if you think you've gotten there -- in terms of how you evaluate and develop -- the only thing you guarantee is you're about to get beat," said Bloom. "If you don't continue to advance the ball, you're going to get beat. You need to act like you're last or as far away as you can be, otherwise you're going to get beat. We should always be acting with urgency and as if we're behind, because that's how you get ahead."
Bloom said that his guiding light -- or "North Star" -- is building a team that can win both now and in the future. He believes that the Red Sox are getting closer, but that doesn't mean the front office is going to get complacent.
"The product on the field, that is getting closer to that sustainable core that can win and keep winning. I've talked about it since I've been here. Over the last few months we're starting to see what it looks like. Are we fully there yet? No. The scoreboard in left field will tell you that," he said. "But the way we've been winning and the way some of our young players have been performing, it shows that we're on our way. We're going to get to the point where we have talent to back it up and keep back it up. It's starting to come to fruition, but by no means are we going to work any less hard than if we couldn't see it at all. We have to act with that urgency because it's a really competitive game and we are in the best division in baseball. We have to get after it every day as if we have a lot to do. If we don't, we're going to get beat. We want to be on top, so we have to act like it."
While he has the reputation for focusing on building the farm system, Bloom said that he is "absolutely" open to adding to the major league team. That doesn't mean he will be selling the farm for a rental, but he will explore any and all moves that gives Boston a better chance at winning this year and beyond.
"When you are situated where we are, selling out for rental players who will be here for now but might not be part of this thing for long, it's not always the best way to go. The history of clubs doing that in our position isn't great," he said. "That doesn't mean we aren't going to add or pursue them, but you're not going to bet the house of them. The guys we are going to be the most aggressive on are the guys who could be a part of this for a while. But we're going to be involved in every opportunity. It's a question of the right player, right acquisition cost, right fit, and again, that North Star being us having a team out there capable of winning a championship now and into the future."
Last week, Sam Kennedy made it sound like the Red Sox would mostly be relying on players coming back from the IL, mentioning the pending returns of Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Trevor Story. While Bloom is excited that those players will be back soon, he isn't relying on them alone putting Boston over the top.
"Hopefully it all works together. You don't want to sit there banking on what you have and say you're good and don't need anything. That is an approach that can burn you," said Bloom. "At the same time you want to look for good baseball moves and don't want to do something just to do something. It has to be a good fit.
"Some of those guys coming back are a huge part of our core and really key players for us. They're going to have a spot and their seat is going to be warm for them. We don't want to be complacent that they're coming back, but anything we do will enhance that," he added.
The bottom line is that Bloom likes the core that is in place, and he is willing to add to that if it helps the team's chances are having a successful October.
"It goes all back to that core and a lot of the good things that have happened because we've grown this core and surrounded it with the right veterans. We want to keep building that. Regardless of how this next week goes, I'm confident we'll have a club that can play well into October," he said. "Your place in the standings matters, but the club that we are going to run out there and the talent we're going to have on the field, I feel really good that if we stay true to what we're trying to build that we're going to send a good team out there. It's going to be a fun team and hopefully be strengthened by the guys coming back and hopefully we can do more things from the outside to help it further."
