We are now a few days into the cold darkness, and quite frankly pathetic, lockout of the MLB season. While we can sit here and talk about how it’s embarrassing that the sport we have come to love is in this place it is, that’s not the reason for this blog. No, the reason I have gathered you here today is quite simple, what the actual hell is going on in Chaim Bloom’s head?
Bloom
In case you live under a rock or are more competent than 95% of the population and don’t use Twitter, you probably know by now that Chaim Bloom pulled off a trade that sent Red Sox Nation into a frenzy. Now, before going forward, I’d like to state that I do have faith in Bloom, for the most part. Bloom did want most people thought wouldn’t be possible and brought the Red Sox to game 6 of the ALCS. No matter the way you look at it, it was an unbelievable season, and the team was a ton of fun to watch. A large part of that has to do with Bloom and the moves he made. Credit where credit is due, I think he has done a great job so far.
The Trade
Late Wednesday night Bloom completed a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers sending Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers in exchange for Jackie Bradly Jr. and two minor league prospects. Yes, old friend Jackie Bradly is back in Boston, unfortunately. This trade is a terrible one and one that just flat out is confusing most Red Sox fans. Renfroe played in 144 games with the Sox last year and hit .259 with 31 home runs and 96 RBI’s. If the offensive numbers weren’t enough for you, he also finished in the top 3 for a Gold Glove. JBJ hit a whopping .163 with nine home runs 29 RBI’s in 428 at-bats on the return side. He appeared in 134 games but could never see the field consistently enough to get into any rhythm, so we’ve been told. The Sox also gained two minor league prospects, David Hamilton and Alex Binelas. They were ranked 16th and 17th in the Brewers system. The storyline is that Binelas is the primary get in this trade. Binelas is a third-round pick in last June’s Draft who has “huge power.” During his first taste of pro ball, the 21-year-old held up to that reputation, hitting .309 average with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 159 plate appearances. He played in Class-A Carolina for the majority of his early professional career. Hamilton’s rundown is that he has “plus speed” and was drafted out of Texas in 2019. He stole 52 bases during the ’21 season. Oh, I almost forgot, going along with this trade is the Red Sox taking on all of JBJ’s $9.5 million; he is due in 2022 and has a $12 million mutual option for ’23 with an $8 million buyout. So at the bare minimum, we are on the hook for anywhere between 17.5 million and 21.5 million to Jackie over the next two seasons, depending on if they exercise his option.
Take Away
What are we doing here? No seriously, what are we doing here? One minute the Sox seem to be penny-pinching to keep under the luxury tax. The next we agree to pay Jackie Bradly Jr. possibly 21 million dollars? Just tell me what we want to do! Don’t just keep yanking me side to side; my brain doesn’t allow me to comprehend that. Also, stop with this “BuT tHe PrOsPeCts” crap. It is crap. Period. Neither guy has played above Double-A, and even at Double-A, it was only a cup of coffee. Not saying they won’t turn into something, but it is a massive jump from High A ball to the Show.
We have no idea what these guys will be. We know that Renfroe is a legit 30 home run guy who is solid defensively in the outfield. Before you even think that this was a fluke season for Renfroe or JBJ, please take a look at their career stats. Since playing in his first real season in 2017, Renfroe has hit 25 or more home runs in every season except in 2020, where he hit 8 in 42 games. Want me to do the math for you on that one? Eight home runs every 42 games over 162 game season, come out to ~ 30 home runs. I understand Dombrowski demolished our farm system, and Bloom needs to replenish it, but the 2022 Red Sox are now worse than they were at the end of the 2021 season. That doesn’t fly up here in Boston, Chaim. We are spoiled. We expect nothing but championships. Might want to start getting used to the fan base and the over-the-top expectations that come with being a GM of a sports team in this city.
Conclusion
The Red Sox were two wins away from the World Series last year. So, far this offseason, the Red Sox let E-Rod walk to get paid an AAV of just over 17 million dollars. They use that money to help bring in Micheal Wacha, Rich Hill, and James Paxton. Pretty good use of money as the pitching was our weakness last year. It also symbolizes that the Red Sox will “Moneyball” their way for the possible 3-5 starters. Again, completely fine with that as I think it could be a very good recipe for success. So why take on Jackie Bradley’s significantly overpaid contract? I’m not saying you don’t trade Renfroe. What I am saying, however, is that this was 1) a very confusing move. 2) a terrible trade all together 3) A trade that Sox fans will continue to hold against Bloom as time goes on. Pick which direction you want to go, Bloom. Do you want to be the Oakland A’s and always be a good regular season team, or do you want to be the 2000’s Boston Red Sox, who consistently role out a title contender and have four world series in that time? Use this time that the MLB is in a lockdown to consider it because if it’s the A’s, you might want to start looking for another job.
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-Kevin Perdios (@kperdios15 on Twitter)
