(Boston) Boston Red Sox rebuilding plans are going faster than expected.
Baseball operations manager Chaim Bloom said on Monday that moving from bottom in the section to six wins from a World Series conquest showed the organization is on the right track.
Also, the Red Sox did not have to mortgage their future to make it happen.
“Even though we had made it all the way to the end and had won top honors, we wanted to end the playoffs with the feeling that it could be the start of something,” Bloom said, three days after the elimination of her team in the American Championship Series.
After showing a 24-36 record in the shortened 2020 season, the Red Sox secured a spot among the draft teams in 2021. They beat the New York Yankees in the playoff match and then eliminated the Rays. of Tampa Bay, champions of the Eastern section.
The Boston Troops led 2-1 in the Championship Series and were six strikeouts to push the Astros to the brink of elimination, but then collapsed. After taking a 2-1 lead in the first inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox were outscored 22-1 in points in the next 26 innings. They only had nine hits and made four mistakes.
After two seasons in Boston – his first unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic – Bloom believes he has a core that can compete with anyone every year.
The strength of the team comes from the left side of the infield, with Rafael Devers on third pad and Xander Bogaerts on shortstop. Bogaerts can take advantage of an escape clause after the 2022 season while Devers can become a free agent in two years.
“They’re both a cornerstone for us,” Bloom insisted. These are the guys you want to keep here as long as possible. ”
Former utility player Kiké Hernández has also hatched as a productive and reliable center fielder. He put 20 balls to safety in the playoffs, a Major in the Major, with five homers and a .408 batting average.
“There was no secret in this locker room. When we got him to sign a contract, we didn’t see him as a regular center fielder, Bloom admitted. But that’s what happened. Because of all the things he can do, it worked for us. ”
Kyle Schwarber, who was acquired on the trade deadline, is eligible for autonomy. He went on to become one of baseball’s best midseason acquisitions, hitting seven home runs in 41 Boston games and three more long balls in the playoffs.
While JD Martinez is already used as a designated hitter, Schwarber learned to play first base, where he had only appeared nine games during his career.
“We played our best baseball with this roster. And it happened as Kyle learned a position in a rush, expressed Bloom. I think we saw him improve the more the games went on. ”
One of the Red Sox’s weaknesses during the playoffs was the rotation of starters, which forced manager Alex Cora to rely on such an uneven relief.
Pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodríguez will be back and the Red Sox will be hoping Chris Sale will continue to return to form after undergoing a Tommy John-type surgery that kept him out until mid-August.
Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock could also carve out their places in the rotation.
The Bostonians are trying to find out what went wrong with stopper Matt Barnes, who was selected for the American all-star game. He sabotaged six save chances in 30 attempts and posted an earned-run average of 10.17 as of Aug. 7.
“Matt Barnes is very important to our team and to what we’re trying to accomplish. He is still a very good pitcher. We know he didn’t finish the season the way he wanted, ”said Cora.
The Red Sox have also said first baseman Tom Goodwin will not be back, but the rest of the staff will be. Goodwin was unvaccinated, meaning he couldn’t be on the pitch during the playoffs.
Bloom assured that it was a baseball-related decision.
“His vaccination status has nothing to do with the decision,” he insisted.
