Cody Snavely
After nearly four years as the head of the Boston Red Sox, Chaim Bloom’s time is over as the Red Sox announced the two parties would be parting ways as the team looks to head in a different direction. However, it was reported by a Friend of Carne Asada, Rob Bradford, host of Baseball isn’t Boring Podcast, that Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes is among the top being considered as Bloom’s replacement.
Brandon Gomes has been the Dodgers’ general manager since the 2022 season but has been in various roles in the organization for over six years. Gomes was promoted to the director of player development in 2017 and then served as the team assistant general manager from 2019 to 2021, working alongside Andrew Friedman behind the scenes to build the team we see today along with developing and scouting the countless players in the Dodgers farm system which ranks 6th in the MLB.com mid-season rankings in August. It is not hard to imagine that Gomes would like an opportunity to run his own ballclub using the experience with Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers. If the Red Sox do snatch him, I think Chaim Bloom is a perfect fit to replace him if he is available.
The Red Sox moving on from Bloom was a bit of a surprise to many around the baseball community as, up until this point, there seemed to be a plan put in place by the Red Sox and the front office to create financial flexibility and create a deep farm system after former Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski threw the Red Sox in a spiral after the 2018 World Series season. If Bloom’s main goal was those two things, he completed it and more, lowering Boston’s payroll from 220 million in 2019 to 184 million in 2023. However, we all know a big part of that reset was the decision to trade away Mookie Betts. However, the decision was not initiated by Bloom alone but was heavily pushed by Red Sox owner John Henery.
The move to trade Betts was hard but agreed by many that it was the right decision to make at the time as the Red Sox looked to the future. If there was one, a plus to the Betts trade is that they included David Price and his contract in the process, freeing millions of dollars to be used elsewhere. Bloom’s next order of business was to rebuild the Red Sox farm system, which was ranked 28th in the league entering the 2019 MLB season. Forward to 2023, the Red Sox now have the 5th-ranked system in the league, and young shortstop Marcelo Mayer (MLB 11th-ranked prospect) headlines that list.
Bloom, in his time in Tampa, was known as a player development guru, which the Rays themselves are known for and a huge reason why they are as competitive as they are despite being near last in the league in payroll. However, the connection to the Dodgers is already there, as Bloom has been a part of the Rays since the 2005 season when Andrew Freidman was the head guy there from 2008 to 2014. This would also not be the first time a former GM or chief of baseball operations would join the Dodgers after being fired or leaving their former team, as the current Braves president of baseball operations joined the team after the 2016 season, leaving the Blue Jays.
The idea of two minds from the Rays joining forces again with a limitless payroll is something that should entice any Dodgers fan, as since LA hired Andrew Friedman in 2014, they have continued to make the postseason while also maintaining an elite farm system to keep them competitive for years to come. While Bloom has a negative reputation right now, as the Betts trade will seemingly haunt him for the rest of his career, his track record with the Rays and the Red Sox should not go unannounced. If the opportunity arrives, I think the Dodgers should jump at it and bring in Chiam Bloom to the fold, but Bloom, despite his shortcomings in Boston, will have a heavy set of suitors with multiple teams possibly looking for new leadership in their front office.
