Chaim Bloom declares Red Sox as ‘underdogs’ in playoff chase

Red Sox

“We like where the arrow is pointing and hopefully we can do some special things the rest of the way.”

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In the days and weeks leading up to MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline, most of the discourse surrounding the Red Sox revolved around their uncertain designation as a “buyer” or “seller” during baseball’s busiest time of year.

Ultimately, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox opted to do neither.

Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline came and went, with Boston’s lone deal coming in the form of middle infielder Luis Urias, who is expected to report to Triple-A Worcester. 

Even though the Red Sox currently sit just 2.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot, Bloom was candid when it came to Boston’s standing amid a competitive field in the American League.

“We really like what we’re building, you’ve seen it,” Bloom said. “Like I said, it’s not something that we’re asking people to close their eyes and dream on — you’re seeing it more and more each night on the field, the core we’re building, what we’re building towards.

“Understanding that we’re underdogs this year, right now, [with] where we are in the playoff odds, we just tried to stay true to that.”

The future does seem bright in Boston, especially with younger players like Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, and Brayan Bello blossoming in the big leagues. But Boston opting to neither buy nor sell likely will draw ire from both the current roster and a fanbase clamoring for more decisive action.

The Red Sox had no shortage of intriguing assets available, both on the MLB roster and down on the farm. 

Veterans on one-year deals like Adam Duvall and James Paxton could have been shipped out in order to gain future assets. Dealing a quality starter like Paxton would be a tough pill to swallow, but would have ultimately accelerated Bloom’s musings about building for the years ahead.

But with prospects like Ceddanne Rafaela and Nick Yorke also marinating in the Red Sox’ prospect pipeline, coupled with controllable assets like Alex Verdugo, Boston also had the opportunity to acquire talent to bolster this current team, especially when it comes to its shorthanded starting rotation.

Rafael Devers, who inked a $313.5 million contract extension through the end of the 2033 season this past winter, clearly believed Boston needed to add more reinforcements on the mound.

“Everyone knows what we need,” Devers told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham on Sunday. “Hopefully we can get that in the next few days. We can’t control that as players. All we can do is give 100 percent on the field. But we need pitching.” 

Bloom acknowledged that the Red Sox were engaged in conversations with multiple players, focusing more on trade chips with term that could join the foundation that Bloom has tried to build for future seasons.

But be it high asking prices or a number of other factors, Bloom believes that Boston didn’t have the means to add talent without straying from some of their principles for the future.

“We’ve got to do deals that make sense,” Bloom said. “Obviously we were engaged on a lot of different players. And just because someone would be a great addition, doesn’t mean that the trade that it would take to acquire him is a good trade. … Obviously, it takes two to tango.

“And we didn’t find those matches. … “We’re always looking for good moves that make sense to add. But it has to be a good move. And otherwise, you’re just forcing something and usually the game gets you when you try to do that. And we just didn’t see those matches.”

As Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy noted back on July 20, Boston’s internal trade deadline — manifested in the return of key cogs like Chris Sale, Trevor Story, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck from injury — should offer a boost.

“We’ve got the potential post-trade deadline for three impact starters to come back hopefully in the month of August with Whit and Tanner and Chris Sale and then, fingers crossed, but we might have Trevor Story coming back sooner than later, an impact arm in the bullpen in John Schreiber,” Kennedy said on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show”. So, frankly, it’s much more important that we get those guys back healthy and contributing, because I think if they had been healthy over the balance of the season, we probably wouldn’t be a couple games out of the wild card. I think we’d be firmly ensconced in a playoff position.”

Still, given the injury history plaguing those three starting pitchers, coupled with the responsibility put upon Story’s shoulders upon his return from major elbow surgery, it remains to be seen just how much those returns will move the needle for the Red Sox.

Further hindering Boston’s odds for a playoff push lies in the fact that other AL teams such as the Rangers (Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery), Astros (Justin Verlander), Orioles (Jack Flaherty), and Rays (Aaron Civale) all upgraded at the deadline.

“Yeah, I do,” Bloom said when asked if he believes the 2023 Red Sox are a playoff team. “But obviously we’re not there right now. We got to go prove it and there’s a lot of baseball left to be played, a lot of different things that can happen.

“I think everybody in there believes that. I believe that. But we have to go out and show it. We have to go out and do it. We obviously need to play well. We need continued good health and we need the baseball gods on their side, just like every team does.

Yes, the Red Sox are building toward a brighter future. Their farm system is the best it’s been in years.

Still, that vision will be tough to sell to Ales Cora and a 2023 roster that has given this team new life thanks to a spirited second-half surge.

As for a beleaguered fan base looking for more immediate returns, the waiting game continues for when Bloom and the Red Sox will finally opt to roll the dice and cash in on the bountiful resources (both spending power and prospects) that they wield as a premier franchise in MLB.

“We like where the arrow is pointing and hopefully we can do some special things the rest of the way and certainly feel very confident that we’ll be able to continue building on this next year and beyond,” Bloom said.