A year after reaching the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox are stumbling towards missing the playoffs with a month to go this season. Monday's loss to the Twins dropped the last-place Sox to 62-67 and eight games out of a playoff spot.
Such a disappointing season will inevitably lead to some changes this offseason, but don't expect to see any sort of major organizational shakeup.
Red Sox leave 9 runners on, lose to Twins
In an interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said the team has no plans to fire either chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom or manager Alex Cora.
"I am very comfortable saying Chaim and Alex will be back," Kennedy said. "And I am very comfortable saying there is a strong belief in the direction of the franchise from our ownership group. That direction is continuing to build for the future, but also continuing to invest at the major-league level."
Bloom, in particular, has faced heavy criticism this season for leaving the team with numerous glaring holes, most notably in the bullpen, at first base, and in right field. The acquisitions of Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham at the trade deadline proved to be too little too late.
Bloom has also come under fire for his handling of contract negotiations with stars Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, with numerous reports indicating the team has made low-ball offers and has yet to put forth a serious attempt to lock up either. Bogaerts can opt out of his contract and hit free agency this offseason, while Devers would be a free agent after next season.
Despite the public criticism and questions, Kennedy's comments suggest that he, John Henry and Tom Werner still believe in Bloom. There's no doubt this will be a crucial offseason for him, though, so it will be interesting to see how he approaches it.
In the same interview, Kennedy made it clear that a quick turnaround will be the expectation.
"To be looking up at the American League East at this point of the year is painful and frustrating," he said. "And frankly we deserve the criticism we’re getting. We’ve got to own that. It’s on us. But we’ve been around here a long time and we’re prepared to turn things around quickly here as we head into '23."
Cora hasn't faced as much criticism as Bloom, but you always wonder about a manager or coach's job security coming off a disappointing year. In Cora's case, however, the Red Sox tipped their hand and showed a commitment to him last offseason when they picked up his option for 2023 and 2024.
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