The Boston Red Sox are heading into a tough stretch of games over the next 10 days with series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees.
WEEI’s Rob Bradford spoke to Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on a recent “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast to discuss if Boston was close to the organization he envisioned building when he came to town prior to the 2020 season.
“My nature is to always feel like we are nowhere close. I’m constantly feeling like there is more to do, and given where we are I think everybody would agree there is more to do,” Bloom said on the podcast. “But I think also seeing a lot of the different contributions that have come from all places on the roster and some of the things that are happening both in the system with young players coming to the big leagues coming into their own that we are headed in the right direction. But there is obviously more we have to do.”
Bloom, who left the Rays to accept the position with Boston, doesn’t feel the Red Sox need to mirror any other team, but rather be the best version of itself.
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“Right now the nature of the game is that it is a different game than I think it was three and a half years when I got here. It’s not about trying to be someone else. It’s trying to be the best. The only way you can do that is by being the best version of yourself. You take things you learn,” Bloom said. ” … I take everything I have learned in my career, and I have learned a lot since coming here. There are lessons you learn through success and there are lessons you learn when things don’t go well.”
The 40-year-old Yale graduate explained how baseball is an emotional one where you should never be satisfied.
“When you’re on a win streak, when you’re on one of those heaters you feel like you’re never going to lose. Then you go on a stretch like the past week where it’s really easy to feel how are we ever going to win a ballgame and it’s the same group,” Bloom said. “I think our team has done a good job of that, not getting sucked into that and just focusing on what is in front of them. Just keep grinding and just keep pushing. To me, that relentlessness I hope will continue to be a trait of this 2023 team is exactly what we need to bring as a front office.
“We are always going to keep pushing. The second you think you have this game figured out, the second you think you’re there, you’re probably fooling yourself. I think some of the organizations that have sustained a ton of success over time, they have done that because they keep pushing and they aren’t satisfied and there is always more to do. That’s my mindset.”
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The plan is great in theory, but why haven’t the Red Sox had the same success as the Rays? Especially since Bloom helped build both organizations.
“It’s probably not my place to talk too much about them because I’m not there anymore, but I will say that none of what has happened since I left is a surprise to me,” Bloom explained. “Obviously, there was a lot of hard work that went into setting the stage for that, and a ton of hard work to keep it going.”
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
