The Red Sox’ questionable moves this offseason were just as unpopular with league execs as they were with the fans.
The Athletic published a survey of 29 executives, former executives, coaches and scouts about some of the biggest storylines at the start of Spring Training, and the Red Sox were often brought up in an unflattering light.
When asked to name the front office person who’s facing the most heat, a staggering 20 respondents said Chaim Bloom — well ahead of Padres general manager A.J. Preller, who collected nine votes.
Though Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy provided Bloom with a vote of confidence over the weekend, those around the game aren’t buying it. “Here’s his problem: When John Henry is feeling the heat and Tom Werner is feeling the heat, they’ll throw anybody under the bus,” said one voter.
That quote indicates the Red Sox have an unsavory reputation around the game for not treating employees well on the way out. They parted ways with Terry Francona following the 2011 season and assassinated his character in the process, and most recently, dumped Dave Dombrowski towards the end of the 2019 campaign — even though they won the World Series the previous season.
Still, Bloom is deserving of the heat. Ten respondents said Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida was the worst free-agent signing of the offseason. “I don’t like that one, especially considering the team it came from,” said one voter. “You mean that’s where you’re going to extend yourself? That’s a head-scratcher.”
The Red Sox signed Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract, despite letting Xander Bogaerts walk. Closer Kenley Jansen, whom the Red Sox inked to a two-year, $32 million deal, received four votes for the worst free-agent addition.
Speaking of Bogaerts, it’s apparent that his departure from Boston puzzled league officials. He received 16 votes as the most irreplaceable free agent.
“He was their guy. So that’s a tough pill to swallow. It’s like losing Jon Lester. You don’t replace what guys like that mean to a team. That’s a tough one,” said a respondent.
Another added: “When you’re in the place the Red Sox are with their fan base and you let a guy like this leave, it’s not just about replacing the player on the field. It’s impossible to replace what he means to those fans.”
The Red Sox have a lot of goodwill to recapture. That’s for sure.
